Vientiane (VNA) – “Ho Chi MinhCity’s Days in Vientiane” kicked off in the capital city of Laos on July 29.

Speaking at the opening ceremony,Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, Secretary of the Party Committee and Mayor ofVientiane, said that the event takes place at a time when the two countries arecelebrating the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties and 40years since the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

It will help tighten the traditionalfriendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between theParties, States and people of Laos and Vietnam in general, and between Ho ChiMinh City and Vientiane in particular.

In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City have supportedVientiane in building two friendship high schools, upgrading one secondaryschool, building a financial information centre and training human resources,he said.

In the time to come, the two cities willintensify collaboration within the framework of their twinning city agreementand cooperation minutes, while increasing delegation exchanges and intensifyingcooperation in economy, trade, culture and tourism, he added.

Permanent Vice Secretary of the Ho ChiMinh City Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang affirmed that the city always paysattention to its twinning relations with Vientiane and other Lao localities.

The “Ho Chi Minh City’s Days inVientiane” event is a manifestation for the city’s determination to develop itspartnership with Vientiane, thus contributing to nurturing Vietnam-Laos specialrelations, Cang stressed.

Within the framework of the event, the HoChi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre organised a conference topromote the city’s investment, trade and tourism in Vientiane.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh CityPeople’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang said that the conference offered a chancefor Vietnamese and Lao enterprises to seek cooperation opportunities, establishlong-term and effective relations, and increase the number of investmentprojects.

He suggested the two sides’ departments,agencies and units to maintain regular coordination mechanisms, promptly provideinformation on policies, legal regulations and projects calling forinvestments.

According to him, Ho Chi Minh Citycurrently has 36 enterprises investing in Laos with a total capital of 345million USD. Numerous trade fairs and investment promotion conferences havebeen held in recent years, helping connect the two countries’ businesses andprovide useful information for them.

Deputy Mayor of Vientiane KeophilavanAphaylath spoke highly of contributions of investment projects by Vietnamesebusinesses, including those from Ho Chi Minh City, to the Lao capital’sdevelopment.

He stressed that the conference was tohelp Vietnamese enterprises understand more about Vientiane’s preferentialpolicies related to trade, investment and tourism.

At the conference, five memoranda ofunderstanding on cooperation between the two sides were signed, including onememorandum between the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Vientiane’sDepartment of Information, Culture and Tourism.-VNA