Vientiane (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in Lao held a ceremony in Vientiane on December 25 to confer ꧟orders and medals from the Vietnamese Party and State on one collective and several individuals of the Lao Presidential Office in recognition of their remarkable contributions to the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Authorised by the State President of Vietnam and the Chairperson of the Vietnamese Presidential Office, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam presented the first-class Independence Order to the Lao Presidential Office, the second-class Independence Order to former chairpersons of the office, the third-class Independence Order to vice chairperson and former vice chairperson of the office, and the Friendship Order and Friendship Medal to department-level leaders of the office. Speaking at the ceremony, Tam congratulated the honourees, emphasising the countries' time-tested special solidarity, founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh, Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong, and nurtured by generations of Vietnamese and Lao leaders and people. He hailed the cooperation between the two Presidential Offices, particularly in exchanging information, sharing experiences, and closely coordinating with departments, ministries, agencies, localities and people of the two countries to effectively contribute to the Vietnam - Laos great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation. On behalf of the Party Committee, leaders, and staff of the Lao Presidential Office, Khemmani Phonsena, member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and head of the office, thanked leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam in general, and the Vietnamese Presidential Office in particular, for proactively proposing and promoting the awarding of the Independence Order, Friendship Order and Friendship Medal from the State President of Vietnam to the collective and individuals of the Lao Presidential Office. She stressed that the recognition serves as significant encouragement and motivation for all officials and Party members of the office. She also pledged to continue joining hands with the Vietnamese Presidential Office to maintain and nurture the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, countries, and peoples in a substantive, practical, and effective manner across various fields. The official added that the Lao Presidential Office will keep working to fruitfully implement the cooperation agreement that the two offices signed in 2020./.