Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 14 paid a working visit to the
northern Lao province of Xieng Khouang, which borders Vietnam’s
central province of Nghe An.
While meeting
with key provincial leaders, Dung highly valued the all-around
cooperation between Xieng Khouang and Vietnamese localities like Son La
and Nghe An over the past time.
Dung thanked the
provincial authorities and people for standing side-by-side with
Vietnam during the war and current development, which according to
him, mirrors the traditional friendship, special solidarity and
comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
He also thanked them for assisting Vietnam in searching and bringing
home the remains of over 15,000 Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, adding
that he hopes they will soon repatriate the remains of more than 1,000
other soldiers to Vietnam.
The provincial
chief Somkok Mangnomek pledged to make it easier for Vietnamese firms to
invest in the province, contributing to local socio-economic
development.
On the occasion, Dung and his Lao
counterpart Thoosing Thammavong chaired a seminar on promoting
Vietnamese investment in northern Lao provinces.
Addressing the event, Dung vowed to do his utmost, together with the
Vietnamese Party and State, to further boost links between the two
nations, especially in economics and trade between their border
localities.
The Vietnamese Government always
encourages and creates all possible favourable conditions for businesses
to invest in Laos, particularly in Xieng Khouang, Dung said.
He suggested the province assist Vietnamese firms to access its
country’s potential in tourism, agro-forestry, minerals and hydropower,
and at the same time enhance cooperation with Vietnamese localities to
maintain a border of peace and friendship for socio-economic
development.
For stronger bilateral trade and
investment, the two Governments will perfect cooperation agreements,
mechanisms and policies, especially preferential incentives, and hold
regular dialogues to share information, attract new investment projects,
and speed up the progress of existing projects, Dung said.
He asked the Vietnamese enterprises to ensure the quality and progress
of projects, strictly observe law, contribute to social welfare, create
jobs and help protect the environment in the host country.
The two leaders requested the two countries’ relevant agencies to seek
funds to build a 260 km road linking Xieng Khouang and Thanh Hoa
province – Vietnam ’s economic, industrial and trade hub that houses a
deep-water port and an international airport – and connect to nine
northern Lao provinces with a population of 2.6 million.
Dung also witnessed a ceremony to grant investment certificates of the
Lao Government to Vietnamese investors, and received leaders of the
Vietnam–Laos Corporation and overseas Vietnamese in the locality.-VNA