Quang Tri delegation holds talks with Champasak province

Continuing their working visit to Laos, on the morning of May 8, a high-level meeting took place in Pakse City, Champasak Province, between the high-ranking delegation of Quang Tri Province and their counterparts from Champasak Province.

The meeting was co-chaired by Nguyen Long Hai, Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Secretary of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee, and Sanan Siphaphom Manachanh, Deputy Secretary of the Champasak Provincial Party Committee. Also in attendance were Ta Phuong Dung, Consul General of Vietnam in Champasak; Ho Dai Nam, Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee; Dao Manh Hung, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Quang Tri; Nguyen Chien Thang, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council; and Ly Kieu Van, Head of the Internal Affairs Committee of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee.

Leaders of the two provinces sign memorandum of the meeting. Photo: TH

During the meeting, Deputy Secretary Sanan Siphaphom Manachanh shared an update on Champasak Province’s socio-economic development, national defense, and security achievements in 2024, as well as key tasks for 2025. He emphasized that this visit by the Quang Tri high-level delegation would contribute to further nurturing the special solidarity between Laos and Vietnam, and particularly between the provinces of Champasak and Quang Tri.

Secretary Nguyen Long Hai highlighted that the two provinces have always maintained a close and special relationship. In 2023, the two sides held a high-level meeting and signed a cooperation plan for the 2024–2026 period. Based on this framework, various activities—including delegation exchanges, conference participation, cultural and political exchanges, and investment promotion cooperation—have been flexibly and effectively implemented.

Currently, Quang Tri is focusing on accelerating the progress of key infrastructure projects such as airports, seaports, transportation, and energy. These are aimed at stimulating regional development, attracting investment, and leveraging the province’s economic, trade, and service potential to position it as a regional hub along the East–West Economic Corridor connecting Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Quang Tri considers Champasak a strategic partner in promoting regional connectivity across Southern Laos, Central Vietnam, and Northeastern Thailand, particularly in the areas of trade and logistics, tourism, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.

Secretary of Quang Tri Party Committee Nguyen Long Hai presents financial support to Champasak Province. Photo: TH

At the meeting, both sides agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding with several key points: continuing to strengthen communication and education on the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos, and specifically between Quang Tri and Champasak, among Party members, officials, and the general public; enhancing awareness and action to deepen political, diplomatic, security, and defense ties.

They also agreed to facilitate information sharing and experience exchange between departments, sectors, and localities in Party building and socio-economic development. The provinces will coordinate in organizing people-to-people diplomacy and friendly activities to mark significant events and major anniversaries of both nations and provinces.

Both sides pledged to actively implement the contents of the 2024–2026 cooperation plan and ensure that relevant agencies promptly address challenges in implementation to fulfill the agreements made by senior leaders. They also encouraged closer professional exchanges between departments and agencies of the two provinces and urged businesses to regularly participate in joint activities such as trade fairs, developing distribution channels, expanding e-commerce, and business networking.

The provinces will cooperate in tapping into the potential of the parallel corridor to the East–West Economic Corridor (PARA EWEC) linking Quang Tri, Salavan, Champasak, and northeastern Thai provinces. They agreed to promote and facilitate cooperation in tourism, passenger and cargo transport, and to jointly develop plans and measures to improve cooperation efficiency, including designing shared tours and travel routes. On this occasion, Quang Tri Province presented VND 200 million to Champasak to support local social welfare programs.

Earlier, Secretary Nguyen Long Hai and the working delegation visited and met with the Executive Committee of the Vietnamese Association and the Friendship Primary School in Champasak Province.

The Quang Tri delegation presents gifts to the Friendship Primary School in Champasak. Photo: TH

There are currently around 1,100 Vietnamese households with nearly 5,000 people living in Champasak, many of whom are descendants of several generations. The community lives in harmony, solidarity, and mutual support, preserving Vietnamese cultural traditions and maintaining good relations with local authorities and residents.

The Vietnamese Association in Champasak has actively organized community activities that foster ties with the homeland and promote Vietnam–Laos solidarity. The Friendship Primary School in Champasak currently has nearly 400 students, about 30% of whom are of Vietnamese descent. The school offers six Vietnamese language lessons per week, taught by Vietnamese teachers living in Laos. Over the years, the school has achieved commendable results in both teaching and learning. The Vietnamese language is treated as a foreign language subject and receives significant attention from the school.

Secretary Nguyen Long Hai praised the Vietnamese Association’s efforts in connecting the community and building a positive reputation with local authorities and residents, while also supporting the livelihoods and economic development of locals and Vietnamese from other provinces. He also highly appreciated the Vietnamese teaching model at the Friendship Primary School as a meaningful way to preserve the Vietnamese language and cultural identity, nurture future generations, and contribute to strengthening the traditional friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos.

He expressed hope that the school’s teachers and students would continue striving for further achievements in the coming years. On behalf of the delegation, he presented the school with five sets of computers to support its teaching and learning efforts.

Quang Tri has identified the southern provinces of Laos in general—and Champasak in particular—as strategic areas for effective cooperation across multiple sectors, including tourism, trade, and agriculture. Both sides aim to jointly develop and maximize the potential of Route 15D, which links to the La Lay International Border Gate and leads into Quang Tri.

In the coming period, the leadership of the two provinces has committed to continuing mutual support and facilitation in trade promotion and marketing, especially for goods and products with strong potential and comparative advantages in each locality.

Both sides will prioritize and adopt practical support policies, grounded in the spirit of the special relationship between the two provinces and nations, to encourage and assist Quang Tri-based enterprises investing in Champasak, as well as Champasak-based enterprises investing in Quang Tri.

Support will also be extended to promote tourism cooperation and facilitate the transport of passengers and goods. The two provinces have agreed to coordinate their tourism and trade departments to jointly explore and leverage the strengths of the economic corridor parallel to the East–West Economic Corridor (Para-EWEC), connecting Quang Tri, Salavan, Champasak, and the northeastern provinces of Thailand.

Ta Hung - Ngoc Mai