Lao Defence Minister visits Vietnam for border defence friendship exchange

He was welcomed at Thanh Thuy Border Gate in Vietnam’s Nghe An province by Gen. Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Vietnam.

Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, the two defence ministers planted a friendship tree near Border Marker No. 460 and posed for commemorative photographs with members of both delegations.

The symbolic activity reaffirmed the two countries’ shared commitment to further strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos and to jointly building a peaceful, stable and prosperous border.

As part of the programme in Nghe An, the two delegations participated in a series of defence and community activities designed to deepen cooperation between border authorities and local residents.

The ministers visited Thanh Thuy Border Guard Station and attended a ceremony reviewing twinning arrangements between border communities on both sides of the frontier. They also joined cultural and sports exchanges involving residents of Thuy Phong Village in Nghe An province and Xop Toong village in Laos’ Bolykhamxay province.

The two ministers also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Thanh Ha Kindergarten, a project funded by Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence, presented breeding cattle to disadvantaged border households, and paid tribute at the Kim Lien Special National Relic Site, the birthplace of President Ho Chi Minh.

The third Vietnam–Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange takes place on July 9-10 in Bolykhamxay province of Laos and Nghe An province of Vietnam.

The programme is regarded as an important defence diplomacy initiative that translates the shared understanding reached by senior leaders of the two Parties and States on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation in a more practical and effective manner.

Following the successful exchanges held in 2021 and 2024, the event has become a distinctive model of defence cooperation, helping reinforce political trust and promote coordination among border protection forces, local authorities and communities along the shared border.

Through defence diplomacy, cultural exchanges and people-to-people activities, both sides aim to further consolidate the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos and continue building a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development.

Third Vietnam-Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange gets underway

VOV.VN - Activities under the third Vietnam-Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange officially got underway on July 9 in Bolykhamxay province, Laos, helping strengthen defence cooperation, reinforce the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos, and build a peaceful and friendly border between the two countries.