Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Laos arrived in Hanoi on Saturday morning, commencing his official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The top Lao official and his entourage were welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi by Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung, and other diplomats.

During his two-day stay in Vietnam, the Lao PM is scheduled to attend a welcoming ceremony and hold talks with PM Chinh.

The Lao PM will co-chair the 46th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee from January 6 to 7.

He will meet with Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on Saturday afternoon.

This marks his first Vietnam visit since assuming power in late December 2022.

The visit takes place nearly a year after PM Chinh paid an official visit to Laos in January last year and at a time when the Vietnam-Laos political ties have advanced strongly.

At multilateral events, top Vietnamese and Lao officials attended many bilateral meetings, with the two PMs already meeting with each other for five times in 2023.

The security-defense cooperation between the two countries has continued to develop qualitatively and quantitatively, while their economic-trade ties have garnered positive outcomes.

Vietnam remained the third-largest investor in Laos, with 241 active projects worth US$5.47 billion in pledged capital.

In the January-November period last year, Vietnamese investors developed seven new projects and revised up the capital of two others in Laos, with a total registered capital of over $114 million.

Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung (R) welcomes Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and his spouse at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, January 6, 2023. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet (R, 2nd) shakes hands with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, January 6, 2023. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

This is Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone’s first Vietnam visit since assuming power in late December 2022. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

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