Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly Permanent Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phonghosted a reception for a visiting delegation from the Laos news agency Khaosan PathetLao (KPL) led by its General Director Sounthone Khanthavong in Hanoi on January15.

Theofficial, who is also a Politburo member, lauded the visit amidst the growing tiesbetween Vietnam and Laos in all fields. She noted that many friendship visitshave been made by high-ranking leaders of both sides over the years, whichaffirmed the two countries’ commitments to further promoting theirbilateralrelations.

Expressingher delight at the sound partnership between the Vietnam News Agency and theKPL, Phong asked the two agencies to better perform their tasks in providing accurateand timely information to the local media systems, and in popularizing policiesof each country as well as the Vietnam-Laos traditional friendship tointernational friends.

Stressingthat the VNA is the strategic and trustworthy news centre of the Party andState with various media products, she expressed her hope that the VNA willcontinue supporting and exchanging experiences with the KPL to better meet therequirements of each country in the new period.

Phongsaid she believes that the VNA and the KPL will continue making reforms and effectivelyimplement their cooperation, thus promoting their role as major media agenciesof each country and contributing to strengthening the special relations betweenthe two peoples.

Forhis part, Sounthone Khanthavong spoke highly of the VNA’s support to andcooperation with the KPL in all fields, including technical infrastructure,equipment, and information exchange.

Currently,the KPL is facing difficulties in personnel training, with fewer reporters andeditors fluent in Vietnamese, the Lao official said, expressing his hope that theVietnamese NA will pay more attention to the matter and providemore long-termscholarships to officials from the KPL.

Earlierthe same day, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi held talks with the visitingKPL leader, during which the two sides briefed each other of their operationand progress and reviewed bilateral cooperation activities over the past years.They shared delight at the efficiency of professional collaboration between thetwo agencies.

TheVNA has supported the KPL in launching technical infrastructure projects, includingthe building of a working network and a modern film studio for the KPL, whichhave helped improve the quality and effectiveness of KPL operations, theynoted.

Thetwo sides concurred to continue enhancing the quality of exchanged information,strengthening communications on the special cooperation between Vietnam andLaos, increasing the number of copies of theprint publication in the Laolanguage of the Vietnam Pictorial to 1,500 per month in 2019.

TheKPL will continue assisting VNA correspondents in Vientiane to complete theirtasks, while the VNA will maintain its support to the KPL in technicalinfrastructure development by equipment provision and technology transfer.

Duringtheir stay in Vietnam, the KPL delegation will attend a ceremony to presentIsala Order and the Labour Order of Laos to individuals and collectives fromthe VNA. They will visit the Vietnam-Laos revolutionary relic site and Moc Chaumilk plant in Son La province, and the Nghi Son economic zone and the citadelof the Ho Dynasty in Thanh Hoa.-VNA