Taking friendly, traditional neighborly relations to a new level of development.

General Secretary To Lam's state visits to Laos and Cambodia, his co-chairing of the high-level meeting between the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party, and his co-chairing of the meeting between the three leaders of the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian parties in Cambodia, were all successful.

At the conclusion of the visit, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung gave an interview to a special correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency (TTXVN) regarding the results of the visit.

- The State visits to Laos and Cambodia, the co-chairing of the high-level meeting between the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), and the co-chairing of the meeting between the three heads of the three parties of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in Cambodia, by General Secretary To Lam were all successful. This was General Secretary To Lam's first overseas trip after the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Minister, could you please share the highlights of this trip?

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung:Recently, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, along with a high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Party and State, paid a state visit to Laos on February 5th, followed immediately by a state visit to Cambodia on February 6th.

The visit was held at a very special time, being the first overseas trip of General Secretary To Lam in his capacity as General Secretary of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, clearly demonstrating Vietnam's importance and priority in developing and fostering relations with neighboring countries.

The visit also holds immense significance and historical importance, as the high-level delegation included Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, along with many other high-ranking leaders of the Party and State. This is a powerful political message, demonstrating a special level of trust for the prosperous development of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and for peace, stability, prosperity, and overall development in the region and the world.

In particular, for our brotherly country Laos, General Secretary To Lam's state visit took place just 10 days after the state visit of General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and his wife to Vietnam last January to congratulate the success of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

This also marks the first visit by a foreign leader to Laos since the Lao People's Revolutionary Party successfully held its 12th National Congress.

This strongly affirms the special tradition of solidarity and unwavering loyalty between Vietnam and Laos, sending a powerful message about the strategic ties, political trust, and shared aspirations for development of the two Parties and two countries.

On this occasion, both Laos and Cambodia welcomed General Secretary To Lam and the high-level delegation of the Party and State of Vietnam with the highest level of protocol, utmost respect, and warmth. The image of the people of both countries waving flags and flowers to welcome them from the airport to the various activity locations evoked deeply moving feelings in each member of our delegation.

Leaders of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the Cambodian People's Party, government leaders, parliamentary leaders, and many high-ranking leaders of the Lao and Cambodian Parties and States directly participated in welcoming, seeing off, and actively working and exchanging views with key leaders of our Party and State.

Within 48 hours in the two countries, General Secretary To Lam and other Party and State leaders worked with a packed schedule including nearly 40 diplomatic activities. The talks and meetings took place in a frank, trusting, open, and sincere atmosphere, achieving many substantive results, in line with the objectives set for the visits.

During this visit, a highlight of the event in Laos was General Secretary To Lam's announcement of the results of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam to key Lao officials, with over 700 people attending in person, online connections to localities and grassroots organizations, and live television broadcast throughout Laos.

Through this, General Secretary To Lam informed about the achievements made during 40 years of reform and during the 5-year term of the 13th Party Congress in all fields from economy and society to Party building, national defense and security, and foreign affairs; the orientations of the Party and State adopted at the 14th Party Congress to lead Vietnam into a new era, in which the foreign policy continues to affirm the importance of Vietnam-Laos relations.

During his State visit to Cambodia, General Secretary To Lam co-chaired a meeting with the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP). Also in Cambodia, General Secretary To Lam, together with CPP Chairman Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, co-chaired a high-level meeting of the three parties. This activity affirmed the tradition of good cooperative relations between the three parties, serving as an important and solid foundation for strengthening strategic exchanges, consolidating political trust, and agreeing on major cooperation directions in the future.

- Minister, could you please tell us about the specific results achieved during General Secretary To Lam's state visit to Laos? How will the two countries implement these results in the future?

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung:Given the special timing as mentioned above, the State visit to Laos by General Secretary To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation was highly appreciated by the Lao Party, State, and people for its profound political significance, clearly demonstrating Vietnam's special importance and top priority to the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

During the visit, General Secretary To Lam held extensive discussions with the top leaders of the Lao Party and State. Based on a high level of political trust and the special close ties between the two Parties, States, and peoples, the high-level leaders of both sides reached many important strategic consensuses, opening up new prospects for more substantive and effective cooperation, meeting the expectations of the people of both countries in the new development phase, specifically:

Firstly, both sides reaffirmed their strong political determination to preserve, nurture, and develop the Vietnam-Laos relationship, a priceless shared asset of the two nations. Accordingly, the leaders of the two countries emphasized the importance of working together and coordinating the effective implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Resolution of the 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

Vietnamese leaders affirmed that they will continue to stand alongside, share with, and support Laos with a pure, loyal, and unwavering spirit, especially in the new era of development for both nations.

Secondly, the visit contributes to deepening and concretizing the "strategic engagement" that was recently established between the two countries in December 2025.

On this occasion, the leaders of the two Parties and two countries agreed on a common understanding and a direction for action to immediately put the meaning of "strategic engagement" into practice, promoting even closer ties between the two Parties and two countries in terms of political vision and development interests.

In this context, both sides agreed to strengthen comprehensive integration between development strategies, socio-economic policies, infrastructure planning, and development space, while simultaneously promoting cooperation in education, training, and human resource development. The principle of placing people at the center of this integration process is identified as a key factor in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the bilateral relationship.

On this occasion, Vietnam and Laos exchanged numerous cooperation documents in fields such as education, justice, and connectivity between localities. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos on the establishment of a Vietnamese University in the Lao People's Democratic Republic is a strong testament to the spirit of prompt action in implementing the framework of the "great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic linkage" between Vietnam and Laos, which the two countries began implementing just two months after the idea was conceived.

Thirdly, the two leaders agreed to continue to firmly consolidate absolute strategic trust and strengthen closer coordination in the context of rapidly evolving and complex regional and international situations.

Both sides affirmed their commitment to maintaining a mechanism for regular and timely exchanges, sharing views, consulting on policies, and coordinating the handling of issues of mutual concern, thereby strengthening strategic trust and protecting the legitimate interests of each country.

Both sides also agreed to focus on the synchronized and effective implementation of the agreements reached, in which political cooperation continues to play a guiding and leading role; defense and security cooperation is an important pillar ensuring peace and stability; and economic cooperation is identified as an area requiring significant transformation and breakthroughs, linked to infrastructure connectivity, trade, investment, and human resource development.

At the same time, the two countries will continue to coordinate closely within regional cooperation mechanisms, especially ASEAN and the Mekong Subregion, thereby making positive contributions to peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region, while enhancing the position and common voice of both countries in the international arena.

- Minister, could you please tell us about the achievements of the State visit of General Secretary To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation to Cambodia?

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung:General Secretary To Lam's state visit to Cambodia yielded many concrete and substantive results. Besides the meeting between the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Standing Committee of the CPP, General Secretary To Lam held meetings with the highest-ranking leaders of Cambodia.

Cambodian leaders all expressed their high regard for the General Secretary's visit, showing affection, admiration, and high appreciation for Vietnam's development achievements and its historically significant decisions.

The leaders of both sides shared many common views and understandings, and agreed on major principles and directions for bilateral relations in a new phase of development, with a Joint Statement and numerous cooperation documents signed. The results of the visit can be summarized in five main points as follows:

Firstly, the two leaders affirmed their mutual respect and support for each other, giving top priority to the Vietnam-Cambodia bilateral relationship. They shared a common understanding of the importance of preserving good neighborly relations, the inseparable traditional friendship, and supporting each other's stable development amidst complex and volatile regional and international situations.

Both sides agreed to firmly consolidate political trust, considering it a core and overarching factor that serves as a strategic guiding principle for the entire bilateral relationship.

In particular, the two sides reached important common understandings, agreeing on several major principles that lay a solid foundation for managing and resolving differences. These principles include resolving differences through frank and constructive dialogue, sincere and good-faith cooperation based on respect for each other's legitimate core interests, building on common ground while minimizing and narrowing differences; enhancing information sharing and timely consultation on issues of common concern, especially those related to borders, communities, cooperation programs and projects; and maintaining consensus, strengthening trust, and sustaining a stable and long-term bilateral relationship.

This is an important development in awareness, providing a basis for the two countries to control and resolve outstanding issues, preventing them from affecting bilateral relations; it serves as a foundation for strengthening political trust to further develop stronger and more stable relations between the two Parties and the two countries.

Secondly, both sides affirmed their determination to improve efficiency and create breakthroughs in economic cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the people and businesses of both countries.

Accordingly, the two countries agreed to leverage their complementary strengths to enhance bilateral and regional economic ties, particularly in strategic infrastructure, supply chain connectivity, agriculture and agricultural processing, energy and logistics, and border economic cooperation, facilitating the flow of goods, services, and investment between the two economies.

The two leaders also outlined several measures to further improve the investment and business environment, aiming for strong growth in bilateral trade, with the goal of reaching $20 billion. In particular, they agreed to continue discussions on joint research into a new economic mechanism to more closely link the economies of the two countries.

Thirdly, both sides agreed that defense and security continue to be solid pillars in Vietnam-Cambodia relations, determined to maintain a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border; strengthen cooperation between the two armed forces, including capacity building; and combat transnational crime, especially online fraud and drug trafficking.

Both sides are also determined not to allow hostile forces to use their territories to carry out subversive activities against the other country.

At the same time, Vietnam and Cambodia will continue to coordinate closely and contribute effectively to regional cooperation, especially within the framework of the Mekong Subregion and ASEAN, contributing to building a united and resilient ASEAN Community, and promoting ASEAN's central role in resolving regional and international issues.

Fourth, the leaders of the two countries affirmed their strong determination to effectively implement the cooperation agreements between the two Parties and the two countries, strengthen consultations between Party committees, and consider substantive implementation as an important measure of political will and the level of trust between the two sides.

Accordingly, both sides have set out a clear plan and roadmap, renewing the content and methods of cooperation in a substantive, flexible, and effective manner to implement high-level agreements, especially by promoting the role of regular political consultation and dialogue mechanisms, promptly sharing information, coordinating positions, and appropriately handling emerging issues.

An important point is that the agreements reached between Vietnam and Cambodia during this visit not only have significant political implications for the two Parties and two countries, but also harmonize with the agreements reached at the high-level meeting between the three Parties of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Accordingly, the high-level meeting of the three parties reached consensus on many landmark issues regarding the orientation of future cooperation, notably the agreement to form and develop connections between the three countries in economics, science, technology, transportation, energy, agriculture, high technology, and connections between the people of the three countries, especially connections between youth, so that the younger generation can continue to preserve and promote the solidarity, close ties, and unchanging historical values ​​between the three parties and three countries.

The trilateral summit, attended by the heads of government and parliament of the three countries, sent a strong message that the results achieved were a high degree of consensus within the political systems of the three countries, affirming the importance placed on the trilateral relationship as an invaluable shared asset.

Thus, the visit of General Secretary To Lam and the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Party and State to Laos and Cambodia was a great success, demonstrating the high political determination of the leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State, as well as the leaders of Laos and Cambodia, in developing traditional friendly neighborly relations to a new level, meeting the very high development goals of each country in the new context, for the benefit of the people of the three countries, and making a positive contribution to peace, stability, prosperity and development in the region and the world.

Thank you, Minister.