Vientiane: Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and her Lao counterpart Pany Yathotou attended a ceremony in Vientiane to officially recognise the ‘Truong Son Trail – Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos’ as a national historical relic.

According to Lao News Agency, the trail’s recognition is rooted in its historical significance dating back to December 1960, when the Lao People’s Party and the Vietnam Workers’ Party agreed to create a strategic transport route. Known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, this route was vital for military and logistical transport during the struggle for national liberation and resistance against the US. It also symbolised the strategic alliance and solidarity between Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

To honour its historical importance, the governments of Laos and Vietnam tasked their defence ministries with surveying the historical sites along the trail. In 2023 and 2024, expert teams explored 18 sites across seven provinces in Laos. Despite facing challenges such as deterioration over time, these teams successfully gathered valuable data to create a scientific dossier, which served as the basis for the trail’s recognition as a national relic.

On December 16, 2024, the Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism signed the decision to recognise the trail. Lieutenant General Vongsone Inpanphim, Chairman of the General Department of Politics of the Lao People’s Army, highlighted plans to develop the site into a historical tourism destination. This initiative aims to educate Lao officials, soldiers, and citizens, particularly the youth, about the special bilateral relationship between the two nations and the military strategies employed during that era.

Earlier the same day, Vice President Xuan paid tribute by laying a wreath at the monument of Lao heroes and martyrs in Vientiane.