Get-together marks traditional day of Vietnam's volunteer soldiers, experts in Laos

The event drew General Phan Van Giang, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defence of Vietnam; General Chansamone Chanyalath, member of the Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Laos; and Major General Huynh Dac Huong, head of the national liaison board for former Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and military experts in Laos; as well as former volunteer soldiers and experts.

Addressing the event, General Giang recalled the historic milestone on October 30, 1949, when the Standing Board of the Central Committee of the then Indochinese Communist Party decided that the military forces of Vietnam fighting in and assisting Laos would be oganised into a separate system in the name of "volunteer soldiers". The move affirmed the CPV’s righteous policy and viewpoint on performing the international mission.

The force of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts operating in Laos is a beautiful symbol of the strong bond, solidarity and special combatant alliance between the two countries, he said.

In four decades of carrying out the noble international mission in Laos, the force upheld the pure, loyal and steadfast internationalism to complete their tasks, and joined hands with the armed forces and people of Laos to gain glorious feats of arms, thus making worthy contributions to the glorious revolutionary causes of the two Parties, States, militaries and peoples. These actions fostered the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos as well as their unique combatant alliance in history, General Giang went on.

In Laos, there is no place without the footprints of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, and there is no victory without the sacrifices and contributions by the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, he stated.

General Giang expressed gratitude to the force for their enormous dedications to the glorious revolutionary causes of the two Parties, States, militaries and peoples.

For his part, General Chansamone underlined that Vietnam’s volunteer soldiers and experts are comrades who fought together with the Lao soldiers and people in the struggle for independence and freedom of Laos.

He showed the Lao Party, Government and people’s deep gratitude to the Party, State, military and people of Vietnam in general and the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in particular.

This feeling of gratitude will never fade and be forever imprinted in the hearts of the Lao people, he remarked.

The official affirmed that in any period or circumstance, the Lao Party, Government, armed forces and people will, together with the Party, Government, army and people of Vietnam, preserve and promote the rare relationship between the two countries, making it forever strong and worthy of the great sacrifices by Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts performing the international mission in Laos.