Lao president heads home from Vietnam
Lao President Khamtay Siphandone left Vietnam's boom town city of Ho Chi
Minh Thursday at the end of a four-day visit aimed at boosting bilateral
trade between the neighbours, officials said.
On Wednesday the Lao leader had visited the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh,
the
founder of Vietnam's communists, in the central province of Nghe An,
according to the foreign ministry.
In Vietnam's economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City, the Lao number one visited
an
economic university before meeting with several city leaders, sources
said.
While in the capital Hanoi, Khamtay met with Prime Minister Phan Van
Khai
and reasserted Lao's wish to develop "special solidarity" between the
two
countries especially in the areas of trade and economy.
It was the first overseas visit for Khamtay since his re-election in
April
as head of the state and leader of the communist party.
Two of the last communist regimes in the world, Hanoi and Vientiane have
boosted economic cooperation in the past years. But Laos is also seeking
to
strengthen its ties to China, which provides significant financial aid
to
Vietnam.
Bilateral trade reached 130 million dollars last year while Vietnamese
investments in Laos topped more than 380 million dollars, according to
official figures.
Agence France Presse - May 16, 2002
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