HCM City (VNA) – Leaders of Ho Chi MinhCity and the Lao capital of Vientiane on October 15 held talks and witnessedthe signing if a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between thetwo authorities for 2021 – 2025.

At the talks, Nguyen Van Nen, Secretaryof the HCM City Party Committee, said the MoU helps identify the centres of thesides’ cooperation in the time to come.  

HCM City will offer more scholarships and vocationaltraining for personnel and people from Vientiane studying in the city, he said,adding that assistance for the Lao city in e-government building andtrade-investment promotion will also continue.

Nen stated HCM City will do its best to foster itsfriendship with Vientiane in contribution to protecting the Vietnam – Laos specialrelations as well as developing the city’s ties with Lao localities.

For his part, Anouphap Tounalom, Secretary of the Vientiane Party Committee and Chairman of the Vientiane People's Council, said the talks contribute to strengthening the special solidarityand comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people ingeneral and between the two cities in particular.

He appreciated HCM City’s support for Vientiane to combat the COVID-19 fight in the past time.

He said he believes under the leadership of VietnameseParty and Government as well as the city’s authorities, HCM City will soonovercome its current pandemic-induced hardship.

The Lao official recommended the sides pay attention toraise awareness of young people on the nations’ close and faithful ties; promotecomprehensive collaboration in accordance with the countries’ special politicalrelations; and strengthen economic, cultural, educational and scientificcooperation in a practical and breakthrough manner.

At the talks, the MoU was signed by Chairman of the HCM CityPeople’s Committee Phan Van Mai and Vientiane Governor AtsaphangthongSiphandone, who reviewed the cities’ sound cooperation during 2016-2020.

Under the MoU, in the 2012-2025 period, the two cities step upthe exchange of delegations, trade, economy, culture, and education; as wellas the implementation of their investment-trade projects, including theestablishment of a HCM City centre for commerce and tourism in Vientiane andvice versa.

HCM City will consider an assistance worth 500,000 USD forVientiane’s project on reforming its budget collection system.

On the occasion, the HCM City-based Saigontourist HoldingCompany presented five scholarships worth 1.5 billion VND (65,898 USD) toVientiane./.