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| Overview of the Meeting (Photo: TITC) |
At the Meeting, MOCST’s Minister Nguyen Van Hung warmly welcomed Delegation of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos during the Lao Cultural Week in Vietnam 2023 in Ha Noi Capital and Ninh Binh Province from 13th - 18th December 2023. According to Minister Nguyen Van Hung, the meeting aimed to help the two sides review the results of cooperation this year and determine the work to be implemented in 2024.
2022 was the year of solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Laos, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 45 years since the signing of the Vietnam - Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, many exciting bilateral and multilateral activities have been organised. The achievements in 2022 have been a good premise for the two countries to follow in 2023, emphasised Minister Nguyen Van Hung.
The highlights in the cooperation process between the two Ministries in recent years include the spread of each country's cultural soft power. With the people-as-creative approach, the two sides have organised many cultural exchange activities, enhancing mutual understanding. In particular, most provinces sharing the border between Vietnam and Laos enthusiastically organise cultural activities such as Cultural Week and Cultural Exchange Day between the two countries. From there, linking culture with social security activities; Through culture, it has a better impact on the socio-economic life of the people of the two countries, in accordance with the guiding spirit of the leaders of the two countries.
The two sides also committed to maintaining the rotation of Cultural Week in each country. Laos has supported Vietnam in organising Vietnamese Cultural Week in Laos. In addition to maintaining periodic activities of organising Cultural Week and Cultural Day to better understand each other and deepen the solidarity and friendship between the two nations, the two Ministries have conducted in-depth research to propose to the competent authorities to consider the Nomination Document for Hin Nam No National Park as an international World Heritage Site with the World Heritage Site of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park ( Quang Binh Province) of Vietnam.
In the field of Tourism, the two Ministries have created the most favourable conditions to bring Vietnamese tourists to Laos and Lao tourists to Vietnam. For many years, Vietnam has always ranked second in the tourist source markets to Laos, and Laos is in the group of important markets for Vietnamese tourism. In 2022, after the two countries reopened tourism activities, the exchange of visitors between the two sides achieved many remarkable results. In the first 11 months of 2023, Vietnam welcomed 112,451 Lao visitor arrivals and in the first 9 months of 2023, Laos welcomed 608,678 Vietnamese visitor arrivals. Vietnam continues to rank second among tourist source markets to Laos.
These numbers show that, through tourism, Vietnam and Laos have not only satisfied the demands of travelling and learning about the culture and history of the two countries' people, but have also better performed the role as a bridge of friendship, deepen and strengthen the very special friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries that the two Parties and States have worked hard to cultivate, affirmed Minister Nguyen Van Hung.
Minister Nguyen Van Hung also made a number of proposals for cooperation in the coming time. In the field of culture, the two ministries will continue to implement the Vietnam - Laos Culture, Arts and Tourism Cooperation Plan between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos for the period 2021 – 2025; proposal to organise Vietnam Cultural Week in Laos in the first quarter of 2024.
Strengthen the organisation of scientific conferences and friendly exchanges on the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos. Coordinate with localities sharing a border with Laos to organise activities such as the Culture, Sports and Tourism Exchange Festival in the Vietnam - Laos border area; create conditions for ethnic minorities between the two countries to exchange, contributing to promoting the preservation and promotion of traditional culture of ethnic minorities in border areas.
Regarding tourism, the two sides jointly coordinate and implement measures to restore tourism, including considering the possibility of cooperation in applying digital technology in tourism promotion communications; building promotional campaigns, connecting world heritage sites of Vietnam and Laos; Strengthen the development of products connecting tours and routes between destinations of the two countries; create favourable conditions for tourists travelling between the Vietnam-Laos border, and at the same time research to expand flight routes to attractive new tourist destinations of the two countries.
Together coordinate and implement the Tourism Development Plan for the Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Development Triangle Area 2020 - 2025 and orientation to 2030; Deploying the project "Development of tourism infrastructure to support comprehensive growth in the Greater Mekong subregion, phase 2"; Vietnam and Laos coordinate with Cambodia to implement the programme "One journey, three destinations". Vietnam participates in the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2024 held in Vientiane Capital (Laos), from 24th - 27th January 2024.
H.E.Mrs. Suanesavanh Vignaket - Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos said, 2022 is the year of solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Laos. The two countries also held meetings and jointly organised many activities on major holidays and organised Lao Cultural Week in Ha Noi.
H.E.Mrs. Suanesavanh Vignaket shared that the Lao People's Democratic Republic in general and the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism in particular always value the friendly cooperative relationship and strive to bring the relationship between the two ministries to increasingly blossom and bear fruits, contributing to the special cooperative relationship between the two countries and educating the young generation about the special relationship between the two nations.
The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos added, the Lao Party and Government have considered tourism as an important spearhead, creating a driving force for economic development and generating revenue for the country. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lao Government directed the Ministry to deploy tourism programmes and activities and create more new tourism products to attract tourists. Lao tourists also want to visit Vietnam and travel to destinations rich in tradition, imbued with culture and history, and Vietnam has beautiful beaches, especially in the Central and Southern regions.
The cooperation between the two Ministries is a demonstration of the special tradition of solidarity between two brotherly peoples. The cooperative relationship between the two Ministries in recent times has also contributed to cultivating and strengthening the solidarity, friendship and special cooperation between the two Parties, the two States and the peoples of two countries.
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| Leaders of the two Ministries and delegates taking souvenir photo (Photo: TITC) |
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* Tags: #MOCST, #Minister, #Nguyen Van Hung, #Vietnam, #Laos, #cooperation, #culture, #tourism,
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