Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc received Mr. Sililaththongsin Thongpeng, Deputy Secretary of the Vientiane Party Committee and Chairman of the Vientiane Capital Administration, on August 26 during his visit to the city.
Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc welcomed the Lao delegation and congratulated Mr. Sililaththongsin Thongpeng on his appointment as Head of the Vientiane Capital Administration. He expressed confidence that Mr. Sililaththongsin Thongpeng would make important contributions to Vientiane's development and bilateral cooperation between the two cities.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc described the visit as an important opportunity to strengthen exchanges, mutual understanding, and friendship between Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane.
He noted that the Memorandum of Understanding for 2026-2030, signed in May, provides an important framework for the two cities to advance cooperation in the new period. He called on the two sides to closely coordinate its implementation and focus initially on turning initiatives and projects discussed during the meeting into concrete actions.
Mr. Sililaththongsin Thongpeng reaffirmed the importance of the "great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion" between Vietnam and Laos, while calling for effective implementation of the bilateral cooperation framework.
He also expressed appreciation for Ho Chi Minh City's support for Vientiane, particularly in human resource development and training.
To ensure cooperation becomes more substantive, Mr. Sililaththongsin Thongpeng urged both sides to quickly translate agreed plans into specific programs and projects.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen ties between their municipal authorities and departments as they prepare for a series of major bilateral anniversaries in 2027. These include the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Laos, on September 5, and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, on July 18.
They pledged to coordinate closely in organizing commemorative activities, with the aim of further deepening the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos and between their two cities.
