Scene at the event (Photo: VNA)
Vientiane (VNA) – “Ho Chi Minh
City’s Days in Vientiane” kicked off in the capital city of Laos on July 29.
Speaking at the opening ceremony,
Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, Secretary of the Party Committee and Mayor of
Vientiane, said that the event takes place at a time when the two countries are
celebrating the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties and 40
years since the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
It will help tighten the traditional
friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the
Parties, States and people of Laos and Vietnam in general, and between Ho Chi
Minh City and Vientiane in particular.
In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City have supported
Vientiane in building two friendship high schools, upgrading one secondary
school, building a financial information centre and training human resources,
he said.
In the time to come, the two cities will
intensify collaboration within the framework of their twinning city agreement
and cooperation minutes, while increasing delegation exchanges and intensifying
cooperation in economy, trade, culture and tourism, he added.
Permanent Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi
Minh City Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang affirmed that the city always pays
attention to its twinning relations with Vientiane and other Lao localities.
The “Ho Chi Minh City’s Days in
Vientiane” event is a manifestation for the city’s determination to develop its
partnership with Vientiane, thus contributing to nurturing Vietnam-Laos special
relations, Cang stressed.
Within the framework of the event, the Ho
Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre organised a conference to
promote the city’s investment, trade and tourism in Vientiane.
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City
People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang said that the conference offered a chance
for Vietnamese and Lao enterprises to seek cooperation opportunities, establish
long-term and effective relations, and increase the number of investment
projects.
He suggested the two sides’ departments,
agencies and units to maintain regular coordination mechanisms, promptly provide
information on policies, legal regulations and projects calling for
investments.
According to him, Ho Chi Minh City
currently has 36 enterprises investing in Laos with a total capital of 345
million USD. Numerous trade fairs and investment promotion conferences have
been held in recent years, helping connect the two countries’ businesses and
provide useful information for them.
Deputy Mayor of Vientiane Keophilavan
Aphaylath spoke highly of contributions of investment projects by Vietnamese
businesses, including those from Ho Chi Minh City, to the Lao capital’s
development.
He stressed that the conference was to
help Vietnamese enterprises understand more about Vientiane’s preferential
policies related to trade, investment and tourism.
At the conference, five memoranda of
understanding on cooperation between the two sides were signed, including one
memorandum between the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Vientiane’s
Department of Information, Culture and Tourism.-VNA