Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone in Kunming city, China, on November 6. (Photo: VNA)

Prime Ministers of Vietnam, Laos meet in Kunming

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone pledged closer cooperation in multiple areas between the two countries at their meeting in Kunming city, China, on November 6.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, the 10th Ayeyawady - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit, and the 11th Cambodia - Laos - Myanmar - Vietnam (CLMV) Cooperation Summit.

Mentioning the important outcomes of his meeting with Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith on the fringe of the expanded BRICS Summit in Russia on October 23, PM Chinh said frequent meetings between Vietnamese and Lao leaders reflect the unique close-knit bonds between the two countries.

He also conveyed regards from Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to leaders of Laos.

On behalf of the Lao Party and people, PM Sonexay thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for their wholehearted support and assistance to Laos to fulfill the chairmanship of ASEAN and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2024, describing this success as the one of not only Laos but also both countries, cited VNA.

Laos is working to develop an independent and resilient economy, and it will cooperate closely with Vietnam in this process, he stressed.

At the meeting, the two PMs reviewed bilateral cooperation in the recent past, highlighting the close coordination between the two governments as well as efforts by the two countries’ ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the outcomes of the high-level discussions and agreements, especially the state visit to Laos by then State President To Lam in July and the session between the two Politburos in September this year.

The two sides agreed to carry out high-level agreements in a more active and effective manner while making the best preparations for the coming 47th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee.

They were unanimous in further intensifying the cooperation pillar of defense - security to guarantee solid sources of support for each other, and in continuing to maintain security and build a Vietnam - Laos borderline of peace, friendship, stability, and sustainable development.

The PMs also agreed to make more breakthroughs in economic and trade partnerships.

PM Sonexay affirmed that Laos always prioritizes Vietnamese enterprises, especially those operating in such strategic fields as infrastructure, energy, high technology, and transport. He expressed his hope for enhanced connectivity between the two economies and cooperation to improve the legal systems to facilitate trade and investment activities.

Lauding both sides’ efforts to promote some key projects, PM Chinh asked them to sustain this positive trend and stay determined to thoroughly deal with obstacles for other important projects in accordance with the two Politburos’ directions. He also pledged to promote related Vietnamese agencies’ coordination with the Lao side.

Vietnam will continue assisting Laos to improve the quality of human resources, especially strategic-level officials and all-level managers, to help the latter meet development demands in the new period, he stated.

The two PMs concurred in implementing cultural collaboration more effectively and pressing on with communications about the traditional Vietnam - Laos relations among the public, especially young people. They also agreed to increase exchanging opinions and information in a timely manner, coordinate closely, and support each other in international and regional issues of common concern.

The Lao PM invited his Vietnamese counterpart to pay an official visit to Laos and co-chair the 47th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee in early 2025. PM Chinh accepted the invitation with pleasure.

State President to attend APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, visit Chile and Peru

State President Luong Cuong will lead a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam to make an official visit to Chile from November 9 – 12 and pay an official visit to Peru and attend the 2024 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Lima from November 12 to November 16, according to VOV.

State President Luong Cuong.

The visits are made at the invitations of Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font and Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, respectively, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on November 6.

HCM City steps up cooperation with Cambodian localities

Ho Chi Minh City is always one of the leading localities nationwide in implementing cooperative activities with Cambodia, contributing to preserving and strengthening the longstanding and traditional friendship and good neighborliness between the two nations.

So said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan when extending greetings on the 71st anniversary of Cambodia's Independence Day (November 9, 1953 - 2024) at the Cambodian Consulate General in the city on November 6.

The official expressed his delight at the development of the good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-lasting sustainability between Vietnam and Cambodia, especially in areas of diplomacy, politics, and economic cooperation, saying that HCM City hopes to collaborate closely with Cambodian partners and localities to promote mutual understanding and friendship, towards preserving and further strengthening the relationship between the two countries, as well as between HCM City and Cambodian localities, VNA reported.

Vice Chairman of HCM City People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan (L) and Cambodian Consul General in HCM City Chan Sorykan. (Photo: VNA)

The southern metropolis is willing to coordinate with Cambodian ministries, agencies, and localities to expand cooperation in education and training, promote trade, and seek investment cooperation opportunities between businesses and partners of the two sides, thus contributing to boosting the economic ties between the two countries, he noted.

Cambodian Consul General in HCM City Chan Sorykan expressed his delight at the fruitful development of the traditional Cambodia – Vietnam relationship, saying that this is reflected by recent high-level visits by the two nations’ leaders, as well as the positive outcomes in trade and investment ties in 2024.

Hailing cooperation proposals from the official, the Cambodian diplomat said he hopes that HCM City will continue implementing educational and training cooperation activities, and providing scholarships for Cambodian students, particularly for those in advantaged areas.

Cambodia wishes to work with HCM City in organizing trade forums and investment-trade promotion conferences between localities of the two countries, he added.

He took the occasion to thank agencies of HCM City for their close cooperation with the Consulate General, showing his belief that the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship will continue to develop sustainably in the future.

Vietnam welcomes over 14 million foreign tourists in ten months

International visitors to Vietnam over the past 10 months reached 14.1 million, marking an increase of 41.3% compared to the same period from last year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported.

In October alone the country received 1.42 million international tourists, an annual rise of 27.6%, cited VOV.

This increase was mainly attributed to the nation’s favorable visa policy coupled with its tourism promotion programs.

During the January to October period, the number of holidaymakers arriving in the country by air hit nearly 12 million, accounting for 84.8%; while those coming by road stood at two million, making up 13.9%.

Photo: VOV

Asia represented Vietnam's largest tourist source market, occupying 80% of the total figure. Coming in second was the European market, followed by tourists from America, Australia, and Africa.

Throughout the reviewed period, the Republic of Korea remained as the biggest source of visitors to Vietnam with 3.7 million holidaymakers, followed by China with three million arrivals. The two markets accounted for 26.4% and 21.3%, of the total number of tourists to the Vietnamese market, respectively.

Taiwan (China) ranked third, followed by the United States, Japan, Australia, India, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand.

The Vietnamese tourism industry has set a target to welcome between 17 million and 18 million foreign visitors this year, with total tourism revenue reaching VND840 trillion, equal to US$34.6 billion, a figure 1.25 times the total revenue recorded in 2023 and 1.2 times the figure seen back in 2019.

Vietnamese and American businesses boost trade links

A trade connectivity conference between Vietnamese and American enterprises is set to be held on November 13 in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to details given by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, the conference is viewed as one of the important events within the framework of the 10th International Food Industry Exhibition (Vietnam Foodexpo 2024), with the participation of many domestic and foreign enterprises, representatives of state agencies, and international trade organizations.

The event aims to promote economic, trade, and investment ties between Vietnam and American countries, thereby creating opportunities for businesses from both sides to exchange and seek co-operation opportunities.

This also represents an opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to introduce their potential, product, and services to the American market, thereby increasing export turnover whilst boosting sustainable development, VNN reported.

Photo: VNN

This conference is not only a trade event, but also serves as a platform for businesses from both sides to build long-term co-operative relationships, a factor contributing to improving competitiveness and sustainable economic development.

Over recent years, the co-operative ties between the nation and the countries of the Americas has recorded very positive developments, thereby creating momentum for strengthening economic and trade ties between the two sides. The clearest evidence is the exchange of delegations at all levels and business delegations between Vietnam and countries in the Americas that have taken place recently.

Major Vietnamese export items include garments and textiles, electronics, footwear, and agricultural products such as coffee, seafood, pepper, and cashews. In contrast, Vietnam imports products from the Americas such as technology, machinery, pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, and raw materials.

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