At the meeting between Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San and his Lao counterpart Lieutenant General Vongkham Phommakone. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

At their meeting in Hanoi on July 20, San stressed that the bilateral defence ties have been developing in various spheres like the exchange of delegations, especially high-level ones; personnel training; and border management and protection.

Competent forces of the two sides have regularly shared information, conducted joint patrols and coordinated in the fight against crimes, particularly drug trafficking and illegal immigration, the officer said.

He suggested the two sides continue their coordination in materialising cooperation contents comprehensively and effectively, with a focus on the first defence minister-level Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia Border Defence Friendship Exchange and the regular meeting between the defence ministers of the three countries.

On this occasion, San congratulated Vongkham on his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Star Telecom (Unitel), a joint venture between Vietnam’s Viettel Global and Lao Asia Telecom, and expressed his belief that the company will grow further, deserving its role as a symbol of effective collaboration between the two countries and armies.

For his part, Vongkham conveyed regards from Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Chansamone Chanyalath to Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang, and thanked the Vietnamese defence ministry for its support in renovating the Laos-Vietnam Combat Alliance Monument in Xieng Khouang province.

He suggested the two sides focus on implementing contents of the 2023 defence cooperation plan between the two countries.