Speaking at the gathering, President of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association's HCMC chapter Ngo Minh Chau highlighted that over the past 50 years, Laos has achieved significant milestones, such as stable economic growth, substantial investments in transportation and energy infrastructure, gradual improvements in social welfare, and an increasingly prominent role on the international stage. The year 2025 also marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam–Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, as well as the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The President of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam–Laos Friendship Association emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City has consistently prioritized and valued the promotion of comprehensive cooperation with Lao localities. In recent years, numerous high-level delegations from the capital, Vientiane, and provinces such as Champasak and Savannakhet have visited and conducted official meetings in Ho Chi Minh City. At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City has regularly sent working groups, business delegations, and civic missions to Laos to visit and sign cooperation agreements across multiple sectors, including the economy, education, healthcare, and people-to-people exchanges.
Mr. Phonesy Bounmixay, Consul General of Laos to Ho Chi Minh City, expressed his deep gratitude to the Party, the State, and the people of Vietnam for their steadfast and loyal support to the Lao people over several decades.
He emphasized that the development achievements Laos has attained over the past 50 years, including economic reforms, investment attraction, infrastructure development, and the expansion of foreign relations, have been closely accompanied by Vietnam’s sincere and unwavering partnership.
The Consul General also noted that in the first nine months of 2025, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Laos reached approximately US$2.4 billion, representing a 57.1 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Vietnam is currently the second-largest investor in Laos. The education sector remains a key area of cooperation, with over 10,000 Lao students and civil servants studying in Vietnam, including more than 1,000 in southern institutions.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has 44 investment projects in Laos, with a total capital exceeding US$500 million. The city places special emphasis on human resource development for Laos, with approximately 800 students and officials from various Lao localities studying at universities and colleges in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, the city regularly welcomes high-level Lao delegations to visit and exchange experiences, while also sending working groups to Lao provinces to participate in trade fairs, conferences, and investment-promotion events.
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