On October 9, on the occasion of accompanying the Vietnamese Prime Minister's delegation to the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, the working delegation of Vietnam's MONRE, led by Party Central Committee member and Minister Do Duc Duy, visited and held discussions with the MONRE of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Minister Do Duc Duy and Minister Bounkham Vorachit discussed and evaluated the results of cooperation between the two Ministries in the past period, while also outlining cooperation programs for the upcoming phase

The Vietnamese delegation included Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation; Ms. Dang Thanh Mai, Deputy Director of the General Department of Meteorology and Hydrology; Mr. Phan Tuan Hung, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs; Mr. Tang The Cuong, Director of the Department of Climate Change; Mr. Hoang Van Thuc, Director of the Department of Environmental Pollution Control; Mr. Chau Tran Vinh, Director of the Department of Water Resources Management; Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Linh, Chief Office of the Vietnam Mekong River Commission; Mr. Le Van Huu, Deputy Director of the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity; Mr. Vu The Hung, Minister’s Secretary; and several technical officials.

Attending the meeting on behalf of Laos were Mr. Bounkham Vorachit, Party Central Committee member and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, along with senior leaders from Laos’ specialized units.

Opening new opportunities for cooperation for the benefit of both nations and their people

During the meeting, Minister Bounkham Vorachit and officials of Laos’ MONRE warmly welcomed the Vietnamese delegation in a cordial and brotherly atmosphere. 

Lao Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bounkham Vorachit at the meeting

Minister Vorachit affirmed that Vietnam and Laos, as neighboring countries, share a traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation. This relationship serves as the foundation for the collaboration between the two Ministries.

Minister Do Duc Duy expressed his gratitude for the warm reception from Laos’ MONRE. On this occasion, Minister Duy also thanked Minister Bounkham Vorachit for his concern and support following the serious damage caused by Typhoon Yagi to many provinces in Vietnam.

Minister Do Duc Duy recalled that during his time as Secretary and Chairman of Yen Bai province, he had the opportunity to work with leaders from Vientiane and Xayaburi provinces to exchange experiences and foster cooperative development with Yên Bái. This helped deepen the traditional friendship and special solidarity between the Parties, States, and peoples of the two countries.

Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy at the meeting

At the meeting, both Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the cooperation efforts between the two Ministries over the years, which have led to significant results and contributed to the unique, world-renowned relationship between the Parties, States, and peoples of Vietnam and Laos.

However, given the international, regional, and domestic contexts, both sides acknowledged that there remains great potential for further cooperation in the field of natural resources and environment.

Thus, at the meeting, the two Ministers discussed and comprehensively evaluated the results of past cooperation. They also outlined directions for future cooperation, ensuring alignment with global, regional, and domestic conditions.

The two Ministers agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) following the bilateral meeting, with the expectation that the MoU will further strengthen the comprehensive cooperation between the two Ministries. This would also open new opportunities for collaboration on specific initiatives and solutions in resource management, environmental protection, and climate change response, all aimed at achieving sustainable development for the mutual benefit of the two States and their peoples.

In the spirit of cooperation and strong determination, both Minister Do Duc Duy and Minister Bounkham Vorachit expressed their confidence that the two sides will achieve fruitful outcomes.

Agreement on 7 areas of cooperation

During the meeting, the leadership teams from both sides reviewed notable past cooperation activities and proposed directions for future collaboration in various sectors.

The two Ministers agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) after the bilateral meeting, expressing hope that the signing will contribute to strengthening comprehensive cooperation between the two Ministries

In water resources management: The two Ministers suggested enhancing cooperation and sharing experiences in integrated management, protection, and sustainable development of water resources; training human resources; scientific research; sharing data on the operation of transboundary water resource facilities; and disaster prevention and mitigation, all to ensure the safety and security of water resources in transboundary river basins.

In Mekong river cooperation: The Vietnam and Laos Mekong River Commissions have closely collaborated with other member countries of the International Mekong River Commission (MRC) to carry out consultations, implement commitments, monitor the impacts of hydropower projects, and participate in discussions within the MRC and related Mekong cooperation mechanisms. 

As the Permanent Vice-Chairman of the Vietnam Mekong River Commission and Vietnam’s representative on the MRC Council, Minister Do Duc Duy highly appreciated Laos’ active cooperation in consultations, information sharing, and the operation of hydropower facilities on Mekong tributaries. 

This demonstrates Laos’ commitment to the sustainable development of the basin. Minister Duy hoped Laos would continue to work actively with Vietnam and other basin countries in reducing the negative impacts on water resources, particularly in extreme weather and emergency disaster situations.

Minister Bounkham Vorachit pledged that Laos would continue to maintain the tradition of good cooperation with Vietnam's Mekong River Commission, strengthening solidarity and coordination in implementing joint activities within the International Mekong River Commission and related cooperation mechanisms.

In environment and biodiversity: In the near future, the two Ministries will explore suitable cooperation mechanisms to promote practical and effective activities in environmental management. Vietnam is ready to share its experience in developing institutions for solid and municipal waste management, as well as its National Plastic Action Partnership program.

Ministers Do Duc Duy and Bounkham Vorachit hope that the signing will open up new cooperation opportunities with specific initiatives and solutions for resource management, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation, aimed at sustainable development for the common benefit of both States and their peoples

Regarding biodiversity conservation, Vietnam and Laos are both home to rich biodiversity. The two Ministers proposed continuing cooperation in enhancing capacity, developing policies, and protecting wetlands in the Mekong River basin. Additionally, they suggested increasing cooperation in biodiversity and nature conservation in cross-border nature reserves, particularly the protection of endangered, rare, and migratory species. Both sides will also share experiences in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

On this occasion, Minister Do Duc Duy proposed that Laos support the nomination of three nature reserves in Vietnam (the Dong Nai Cultural and Natural Reserve, Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An province, and Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh province) as ASEAN Heritage Parks, to be submitted to the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity in early 2025.

Minister Do Duc Duy presenting a souvenir to Minister Bounkham Vorachit

In climate change response: Both Ministers stressed the need to further strengthen cooperation, exchange information, and closely coordinate at regional and international levels, especially within the frameworks of ASEAN and the United Nations, to address climate change. They also agreed to exchange experiences and cooperate on climate change adaptation, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and the just energy transition toward achieving Net-Zero emissions.

In meteorology and hydrology: The two Ministers instructed their respective agencies to effectively implement the MoU by focusing on data exchange, including surface meteorological and hydrological observations, radar weather data, lightning location data, and surface monitoring station data. This will support national and provincial-level weather forecasting, disaster warnings, and the sharing of information on dangerous weather events before and during disasters to minimize human and property losses.

In land management: Both sides began exchanging information and experiences on policy development since 2019, during the consultations on the draft revision of Laos’ Land Law. Minister Do Duc Duy informed the meeting that Vietnam’s 2024 Land Law, passed by the National Assembly in January 2024 and effective from August 1, 2024, introduces many groundbreaking policies to unlock land resources for economic and social development. 

The Minister expressed Vietnam’s willingness to share experiences in land law development with Laos’ MONRE.

Minister Bounkham Vorachit expressed a desire for Vietnam to send expert delegations to work with Laos' specialized units to discuss detailed plans and share experiences in land management between the two countries.

In training and capacity building: Currently, Vietnam has three institutions specializing in natural resources and environment training, and two Lao students have received scholarships under the bilateral agreement between the two countries. 

The two Ministers proposed jointly developing short-term and long-term training programs and coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam and the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos through a training cooperation protocol between the two Governments.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two Ministers encouraged their respective specialized agencies to continue working together to effectively implement existing cooperation activities. They also agreed to explore and coordinate on additional initiatives of mutual interest for the coming period, ensuring the successful execution of their respective functions and duties.

Minister Bounkham Vorachit highly appreciated the outcomes of this meeting, which provide a foundation for the units of both Ministries to implement cooperation activities in the near future in a practical and effective manner, aligned with the international and regional context, the specific conditions, and the sustainable development priorities of both countries.

Minister Do Duc Duy expressed his confidence that, with a spirit of cooperation and strong determination, both sides will continue to achieve positive results, contributing to the sustainable development of both Vietnam and Laos. Today's meeting is not only an opportunity for the two sides to exchange and learn from each other but also a chance to further strengthen the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the Parties, States, and people of the two countries.

Ngoc Huyen (NRE Newspaper)