HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for the acceleration of highway and railway projects to enhance connectivity between Vietnam and Laos during a meeting with the Lao Minister of Planning and Investment and Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Committee, Phet Phomphiphak.
During the August 19 meeting, the PM praised the outcomes of the conference on implementing the Vietnam-Laos cooperation plan for 2024 and discussed measures to advance the bilateral cooperative agreement between the two countries for the 2021-2025 period.
Chinh urged the Lao government to further improve the investment environment and promptly address obstacles faced by Vietnamese businesses investing in Laos. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening strategic cooperation, particularly in expressway and railway projects that will enhance traffic connection between the two nations.
Phet reaffirmed his commitment to expediting the implementation of key infrastructure projects that will facilitate transport connection between Vietnam and Laos, such as the Hanoi-Vientiane expressway and the Vientiane-Vung Ang railway.
In the first half of this year, bilateral trade between the two countries reached nearly US$928 million, up by 11.1% year-on-year. Vietnam is currently Laos’ third-largest foreign investor, with 255 investment projects totalling US$5.5 billion in pledged capital.
