Ho Chi Minh City boosts cooperation with Laos’ Champasak, Vientiane

At the meetings, Yen said that for many years, the Standing Committee of the VFF branch in Ho Chi Minh City has carried out a programme named "Vietnamese families with Lao-Cambodian students in Ho Chi Minh City for the 2021-2025 period". To date, there are 33 Vietnamese families in the city sponsoring 42 Lao students and six Cambodian ones.

Through the sponsorship, the programme creates favourable conditions for Lao and Cambodian students learning in the city to have the opportunity to live and interact with Vietnamese families, and understand more about history and culture, people, and traditional values of Vietnamese families; and to improve their ability to communicate in Vietnamese language, thus helping them achieve better academic results.

Regarding the investment promotion and cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Champasak and Vientiane, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre Tran Phu Lu said last December, the two countries coordinated in holding the "Vietnam - Laos Trade and Investment Forum", which attracted the participation of more than 300 representatives of their businesses, including many from Champasak and Vientiane. Within the framework of the forum, 17 cooperation agreements and one economic contract were signed with a total value of about 4 trillion VND (170.2 million USD).

Chairwoman of the LFNC branch in Champasak Vatsana Silima said that her province appreciates Ho Chi Minh City’s efforts to implement contents of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation inked in 2022, thus promoting the two localities’ friendship.

This year, the province wants to have more collaboration opportunities with the Vietnamese metropolis to contribute to each country’s development, and the bilateral friendship.

Chairman of the LFNC branch in Vientiane Thanome Thamthong affirmed that the branch will maintain close coordination with the VFF in Ho Chi Minh City to promote the success of the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022; step up disseminations to raise awareness of Lao people, especially youths, on the two countries’ special relations; and work with relevant agencies to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese people living in the country.