Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung receives Ambassador of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to Vietnam

Also attending the reception were: Mr. Ngoc Kim Nam - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Information, Education and Mass Mobilization Commission; Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Chief of the Provincial Party Committee Office; and Mr. Tran Khanh Thuc - Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Ms. Khamphao Ernthavanh, the Ambassador of the Lao PDR to Vietnam, expressed her special affection and joy in visiting Nghe An province, the beloved homeland of President Ho Chi Minh. She also sincerely thanked the Nghe An Provincial Party Secretary for the respectful and warm reception.

Emphasizing the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, the Ambassador praised the cooperative relationship between Nghe An province and the provinces and cities of Laos, which has actively contributed to the excellent relationship between the two Parties, two States, and their peoples.

Vietnam in general, and Nghe An province in particular, has supported the training of officials for Laos, thereby contributing to the development of Laos. Additionally, Nghe An province has established cooperative relations in many fields with Laotian provinces, achieving many important results.

Informing about Laos's socio-economic situation and the cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh expressed her sincere gratitude to Vietnam for always supporting and sharing with the Lao people in their most difficult times, calling it righteous and heartfelt assistance.

Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh congratulated and highly valued the great development achievements of Vietnam in general and Nghe An province in particular. She especially noted that since July 1, Vietnam has entered a historic phase by implementing a revolutionary streamlining of its apparatus and adopting a two-tiered local government model. She expressed her wish that the loyal and pure relationship between Laos and Vietnam will become increasingly strong and developed.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung expressed his sincere thanks and joy in welcoming Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh and her delegation to Nghe An province, the beloved homeland of President Ho Chi Minh.

Congratulating Laos on its economic development results, the Nghe An Party Secretary also shared general information and achievements in socio-economic development and Party building in Nghe An since the beginning of the term, especially in the first 6 months of 2025.

From late 2024 to the present, Nghe An, along with the rest of the country, has been decisively and seriously implementing a revolutionary reorganization to streamline its apparatus, reorganize commune-level administrative units, and build a two-level local government model according to the guidelines of the Party and State.

Nghe An has reorganized from 412 communes and wards down to 130, and has concluded the operations of 20 district-level administrative units. This reorganization aims to build a streamlined, effective, and efficient apparatus, create development space, and bring the government closer to the people to better serve their needs.

Sharing about the cooperative relationship between Nghe An and Laotian localities, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung affirmed that, based on the special traditional and loyal relationship between the two Parties, States, and peoples, Nghe An province considers strengthening cooperation with Laotian localities a crucial political task, implemented comprehensively across three pillars: Party-to-Party diplomacy, state-to-state diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy.

Nghe An frequently organizes delegation exchanges and experience-sharing activities on Party building, state management apparatus construction, People's Council operations, and economic development with Laotian localities. There are currently about 20 Nghe An businesses investing in Laos with a total capital of over 86 million USD.

From 2018 to the present, Nghe An has received nearly 1,600 students and officials from Laos for study and training. The province has also actively coordinated in upgrading border gate infrastructure and promoting border trade through routes and border gates such as the Thanh Thuy - Nam On sub-border gate and the Thong Thu - Nam Tay sub-border gate.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung stated that in the coming time, Nghe An will be assigned by the central government to be the main investor for the Vinh - Thanh Thuy expressway project, which is part of the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway²². This route is of great significance in promoting political, economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries, creating a development driving force for the North Central region, and connecting with the East-West economic corridors, especially from Laos and Northeast Thailand to the Cua Lo port.

Sincerely thanking the Ambassador and the Lao Embassy in Vietnam for their attention and support for the cooperative relationship between Nghe An province and Laotian localities, the Provincial Party Secretary expressed his hope that the Ambassador will continue to support and create conditions for Nghe An to effectively implement the cooperation agreements signed with Laotian localities.

He called for continued favorable conditions to enhance economic cooperation between Nghe An and Laotian localities. Nghe An province will continue to help and support Laotian provinces in training and developing human resources. At the same time, he requested that the Laotian side consider supporting Lao language training for officials from Nghe An province.

The two sides need to continue to promote propaganda and mobilize border residents to strictly comply with border regulations; coordinate in preventing illegal migration, illegal proselytizing, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and transnational crime to maintain border security; and support the search and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who sacrificed their lives in Laos.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung wished that the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos will continue to develop, remaining forever green and eternally sustainable.