Vietnam–Laos Special Relationship to Deepen, Railway Project Accelerates

The Prime Ministers of Vietnam and Laos held talks on June 7, during which they briefed each other on their respective internal situations and expressed satisfaction with the socio-economic achievements recorded by both sides. They highly valued the continued development of bilateral ties, particularly the strong political trust maintained through regular exchanges of meetings at all levels. As a strategic project backed by both governments and listed as a priority in bilateral cooperation, the Laos–Vietnam railway has a planned total length of around 562 km. The railway construction is expected to set directions for comprehensive, effective, and appropriate cooperation between the two countries in a new development phase. The third meeting of the 14th Party Central Committee saw Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation Trinh Van Quyet state that hostile forces are increasingly using AI and digital platforms to wage cognitive warfare targeting the ideological foundation, public confidence and internal unity. He stressed that the challenge requires continuous innovation in both methods and capabilities. Instead of merely handling information after an incident already occurred, it is necessary to proactively gauge public sentiment, anticipate trends in public opinion and address at an early stage issues that could undermine public trust. In other words, the focus must shift from “managing information” to proactively “governing public trust”. Recent diplomatic activities demonstrated that the foreign policy set out at the 14th National Party Congress is being translated into concrete action, reaffirming diplomacy as a “vital and regular” task alongside national defence and security. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung sent congratulatory messages to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Philippines (1976-2026). Delivering a keynote speech on the future of Thailand-Vietnam relations after five decades of diplomatic ties, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung underscored the important role of universities not only in preserving shared history but also in shaping the future of the bilateral partnership through education, research and people-to-people connections. To deepen practical cooperation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung proposed increasing exchanges at all levels, especially high-level visits, while strengthening coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly as Greece serves as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025–2026 term. Party General Secretary and State President To Lam highlighted the country's recent socio-economic achievements, recognizing the significant contributions by the People's Public Security force, particularly the People's Police, senior police leaders over different periods and the Association of Former People's Public Security Officers through grassroots movements safeguarding national security. Opening the event, the PM underscored the significance of the meeting, saying that it is the first engagement between the new-term government’s members and the business community - the vanguard on the economic front, playing a key role in driving growth, generating employment, and enhancing national competitiveness. During its 15 years of operation, the committee fulfilled its assigned functions and responsibilities, serving as an effective advisory body by proposing solutions to pressing issues and recommending policies to promote livelihoods and improve the life quality for locals. A senior official reaffirmed the Vietnamese Party and State's support for expanding comprehensive and substantive cooperation between Chongqing and Vietnamese localities, calling on both sides to continue effectively implementing the common perceptions reached by the two countries' high-ranking leaders. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on July 17 sent a congratulatory message to Mindaugas Sinkevičius on his election as Prime Minister of Lithuania. PM Le Minh Hung recommended that the two sides step up all-level exchanges and meetings, especially those at high level, make full use of the existing cooperation mechanisms, expand collaboration in the economy, trade and investment, and effectively implement the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Party General Secretary and State President To Lam stressed that every set of remains recovered represents far more than a technical achievement. It marks the return of a son or daughter to the Fatherland and to his/her family, the restoration of a missing chapter of history, and a reaffirmation of the country's enduring tradition of remembering those who served the nation. The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.