General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on August 9 met with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith, marking his first reception of a foreign top leader after months since his illness in April. 
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Nguyen Phu Trong and Laos' President Bounnhang Vorachith. Photo: VNA
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The meeting focused on Party building work and preparations for Party congresses at all level towards the National Party Congresses of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP).
Both the top leaders discussed measures to foster the Vietnam-Laos special ties in the coming time.
They highly appreciated the timely and effective support and assistance that the two Parties and States have provided each other.
The leaders agreed to closely work together to effectively implement agreements signed by the two countries’ leaders and make efforts to promote the traditional friendship, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Vietnam and Laos share a borderline of more than 2,000 kilometers. The two countries posted a rise over 10%-plus annually in trade exchange volume between 2015 and 2018 to more than US$1.03 billion in 2018, up 11.9% on year.
The figure is estimated to reach US$594 million in the first half of 2019, up 14%, according to the General Department of Viet Nam Customs.
In terms of investment, Vietnamese investors have poured US$5.1 billion into 292 projects in Laos, including 110 worth US$2.7 billion in 10 provinces bordering Vietnam, shown statistics by the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment.
