Copyright vietnamnews
HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Saturday for Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, as the latter attended the signing of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, known as the “Hanoi Convention”. General Secretary Lâm expressed firm belief that Thongloun’s presence would contribute to the event’s success. He congratulated Laos on its recent achievements in Party and political system building, constitutional reform, and state modernisation, saying that these strides have created new momentum for new development orientations in the new period, while ensuring national independence, political stability, and socio-economic development. Việt Nam always offered strong and comprehensive support for Laos’s reform, and stayed ready to share its experience and give top priority to helping Laos successfully hold major national events, he said. Thongloun, in reply, praised Việt Nam for its proactive role in negotiations and hosting the cybercrime convention signing, calling it a testament to the Party and State’s commitment to cybersecurity. The treaty, he noted, would establish a vital legal framework to protect cybersecurity and foster sustainable development cooperation among Việt Nam, Laos, and their partners. He also hailed Việt Nam’s four decades of Đổi Mới (renewal), which had delivered sustained political stability, economic growth, improved living standards, strengthened national defence-security, and elevated Việt Nam’s global standing. In 2025, Việt Nam was poised to join the ranks of upper-middle-income nations with a GDP per capita of about US$5,000, a milestone that reflects the sound development path pursued by the Vietnamese Party and State. Both leaders praised the continued substantive and comprehensive development of bilateral ties. Beyond increasing political, defence, and security ties, they pledged to make breakthroughs in economic ties to match the level of their strong political relationship. Priorities include boosting bilateral trade, expanding infrastructure connectivity, and effectively rolling out strategic cooperation projects to drive long-term, sustainable, and mutually beneficial development. They also discussed specific cooperation ideas, focusing on untangling bottlenecks and facilitating Vietnamese business operations in Laos, aiming to support the host country’s socio-economic development. On domestic situation, both expressed profound sympathy over the devastation caused by recent natural disasters in their countries. In a volatile global environment, host and guest underscored the importance of solidarity, closer consultations, and mutual support at regional and multilateral forums, including ASEAN. They vowed to back each other’s goals, particularly in hosting upcoming national party congresses and parliamentary elections, to ensure the success of their respective Party and State agendas. — VNA/VNS
