Vientiane (VNA) – Party General Secretary andPresident Nguyen Phu Trong had a meeting in Vientiane city with the staff ofthe Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of Vietnamese people and businessesin Laos on February 25.

Pham Quang Phu, a Vietnamese businessman inLaos, said Vietnamese companies have been present in almost all provinces andcities of Laos, and they are operating in various fields like agriculture,forestry, mining, and hospitality industry. Many of them have had successfulactivities, earning appreciation of the Lao Government.

Vietnamese investors in Laos hope that theVietnamese Government will create optimal conditions for more enterprises to dobusiness in Laos while setting up a hotline to help address problems facingthem as soon as possible, thus helping Vietnamese firms contribute to eachcountry’s development as well as the two sides’ cooperation, he added.

At the event, General Secretary and PresidentTrong, who was on an official visit to Laos, said the great friendship, specialsolidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos are theprecious common assets of the two nations that need to be nurtured and handeddown to future generations.

He said he chose Laos for the first foreign trip after takingoffice to demonstrate the importance that Vietnam attaches to the relationshipwith Laos.

The leader asked the embassy’s staff tounceasingly make efforts to fulfill their duties to help with bilateral ties.

He affirmed the Party and State’s favourableconditions for Vietnamese people and businesses in Laos, adding that he hopesthe companies will operate fruitfully so as to contribute to the development ofLaos and the countries’ relations.

Also on February 25, the leader and hisentourage laid wreaths at the monument to heroic martyrs of Laos in Vientiane.

The same day, on behalf of the General Secretaryand President, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tong Thi Phongvisited the Laos-Vietnam Friendship High School in Vientiane.

The school, inaugurated in September 2009, is agift of former Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh for people ofVientiane. It currently has 79 teachers and 999 students.

The school has paired with the Kim Lien HighSchool in Vietnam’s Hanoi capital since the 2010-2011 academic year to shareexperience. The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has also sentexperts to help open Vietnamese language classes from the sixth to the 12thgrades there.-VNA