Participants in the ceremony included Vilayvong Bouddakham, Chairman of the Laos - Viet Nam Friendship Association (LVFA); Somkot Mangnomek, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Governor of Xieng Khouang; Tran Van Tuy, President of the Viet Nam - Laos Friendship Association and nearly 100 delegates from the two countries as well as representatives of Xieng Khouang’s people and Vietnamese community in Laos.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Governor Somkot Mangnomek stressed that the festival was imbued with cultural and political meaning, reflecting the special and long-standing traditional friendship, as well as the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
This was an opportunity for the two countries to remind the close friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Viet Nam, fostered by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong. It was promoted as a invaluable treasure by the generations of leaders and people of the two countries, being the decisive factor for the development of each country’s revolution.
On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, President Tran Van Tuy shared, “this past week living in beautiful Laos, we had attended many important events celebrating two major anniversaries and the fourth Viet Nam - Laos Friendship Festival. We have lived in warmth and heartfelt love of Lao brothers. And during this journey, our delegation was very touched to visit Xieng Khouang - one of the fiercest battlefields in the resistance war against French and American invaders, a symbol of solidarity between Viet Nam and Laos”.
“We are fortunate to inherit a tremendous, invaluable assets nourished by the flesh, bone and huge sacrifices of the two peoples and a big pride for both the Vietnamese and the Lao people. Therefore, we and especially the younger generation of the two countries need to be deeply aware of the importance and special significance of preserving the traditional friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos forever,” he added.
Colonel Tran Ngoc Phuong, a Vietnamese soldier who was sheltered by the Lao people during the war, expressed his excitement when he visited Xieng Khouang - his second hometown.
“Phu Nong, Tha Ham, Tha Vieng, Nam Tieu Bridge, Nam That, Muong Su, Xa Thong,... always exist in my mind. Thank to Party, State of Vietnam and Laos, Viet Nam - Laos and Laos – Viet Nam Friendship Associations for letting me here today, in my second hometown so that I could meet my dear brothers again,” he shared.
Colonel Khamphoy Vilavong, a veteran in Bony Khamsay, Laos, also said, “This is my first time attending the Laos – Viet Nam People's Friendship Festival. The festival is very important because during the fight against their common adversary, the two countries stood shoulder to shoulder and sacrificed their blood for ultimate victory. Nothing can change the special relations between Viet Nam and Laos as well as the solidarity and friendship between people of the two nations.”
"The Viet Nam - Laos and Laos – Viet Nam Friendship Associations and the delegates of the two peoples agreed to continue to further tighten the relationship between the two peoples and educate the two countries’ people, especially young generations, on special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam - Laos,” Vilayvong Bouddakham said at the closing ceremony.
The other target is to promote the quality of the activities of the two Associations and encouraging the ministries, sectors, businesses and people of the two countries to implement comprehensive cooperation plans on economics, trade, culture - society, education, sport, science and technology between the two Parties.
And the last one is to strengthen the organization of meetings, exchanges and mutual learning between the two Associations in provinces and border localities, contributing to maintaining national security and defence, building a peaceful and stable border for the friendship and special solidarity of Viet Nam and Laos.
The two Associations agreed that the fifth Laos – Viet Nam People's Friendship Festival will be hosted in Viet Nam in 2022.
HA
