Hanoi: The Embassy of Laos in Vietnam and Viet-Lao AZ JSC co-organized the 2025 Laos-Vietnam Investment and Trade Promotion Conference in Hanoi, focusing on converting high-level commitments into actionable cooperation opportunities to boost bilateral trade and investment.
According to Lao News Agency, Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh highlighted the longstanding trade relations between Vietnam and Laos, emphasizing the special solidarity developed over more than sixty years by the two nations’ Parties, Governments, and peoples. The two countries, sharing over 2,337 km of border across 10 Lao provinces and nine Vietnamese localities, possess considerable development potential along the East-West Economic Corridor.
Despite positive outcomes in bilateral trade, particularly border trade, challenges persist in ensuring stable and sustainable development. The ambassador stressed that enhancing cooperation will aid in poverty reduction, rural development, and improve the livelihoods of border communities. This collaboration aims to establish peaceful, friendly, and cooperative borders, steering both nations toward a trade turnover target of 5 billion VND in the coming years.
The conference also delved into investment and trade promotion mechanisms. Experts discussed policy updates and incentives to transform Laos from a landlocked nation into a regional land-link hub, outlining strategic investment opportunities to attract at least 1.7 billion USD in foreign direct investment annually.
Nguyen Anh Son, Director of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, noted that both governments have enforced significant cooperation measures, including the 2024 Vietnam-Laos Trade Agreement and the Vietnam-Laos Border Trade Agreement, which lay the legal groundwork to enhance bilateral trade. In the past decade, two-way trade has grown from 1.1 billion USD in 2015 to 2.25 billion USD in 2024.
In the first nine months of 2025, bilateral trade reached 2.36 billion USD, marking a 57% increase year-on-year and the highest level in a decade. Upgraded border gates and economic zones have facilitated trade flows and supported border residents.
Son recommended prioritizing resources for transport infrastructure connectivity, developing logistics hubs at key border gates, modernizing customs procedures, and enhancing electronic data exchange. He also urged the expansion of business networking, trade promotion programs, and training on preferential tariffs and rules of origin.
At the conference, Viet-Lao AZ JSC and Hung-Aloun Logistics exchanged an MoU on strategic cooperation in logistics and distribution, marking a new chapter in cross-border supply chain cooperation and reinforcing the strong commitment to enhancing the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
