General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong receives General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Choummaly Sayasone (VNA/Tri Dung)

2012 marks a significant milestone in Vietnam – Lao relations as the two countries celebrate the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic ties on Sept 5 and 35 years of implementing the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty on July 18. A number of activities have been organized including high-level visits, gatherings to celebrate Vietnam-Lao relations, a Vietnamese - Lao Friendship Festival, and a contest on the history of the two countries’ relations. Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Sunthoong Sayachac said: "We appreciate the reciprocal visits by our senior leaders. President Truong Tan Sang visited Laos early this year and the General Secretary and President of Laos is visiting Vietnam at the end of the year. The visits create a breakthrough in bilateral relations. A good political relationship is the foundation for other relationships."

Vietnam and Laos are close neighbors, both sharing the Truong Son range and drawing water from the Mekong river. Since the establishment of the Indochina Communist Party, then the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the two countries’ relations have been raised to a new level. Vietnam and Laos have shared hardship and happiness to build the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation into an invaluable treasure, and a special important factor in ensuring the success of each country’s revolution.

Leaders of both countries have promised to continue to reinforce bilateral relations in all fields through cooperation at all levels. Prior to the visit, the Vietnam – Lao Intergovernmental Cooperative Committee held a 5-day meeting in Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is Chairman of the sub-committee for cooperation. "In 2012, tens of thousands of Vietnamese and Lao people joined in exchanges and meetings of ministries and sectors. TV-links and contests have attracted millions of people, fostering political and diplomatic ties. Next year, we must boost trade and investment cooperation," Phuc said.

Amidst economic difficulties, Vietnam and Laos have concentrated resources on 11 major cooperative projects. Vietnam has invested much capital in Laos for large-scale rubber plantating and processing, telecommunications, and banking. Vietnam has 440 projects in Laos with a total capital of 5.38 billion USD, making it the second biggest investor in Laos. Two-way trade has reached 1 billion USD. Cooperation in education, training, and human resources development has seen steady progress. The two countries have worked closely in security and national defense and international forums.

Both the 11^th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 9^th Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party pledged to honor and continuously strengthen the Vietnam – Lao special ties and comprehensive cooperation. The visit to Vietnam by Sayasone will help tighten bilateral ties and lift them to a higher level. Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the relationship is unrivaled in the world’s history, having been nurtured by the blood of many generations of Vietnamese and Lao people.