A seminar with the theme “Vietnam - Laos Friendship: Pushing ahead with bilateral cooperation and sharing experiences for macro-economic stability and growth recovery”, was held on December 1 with two online locations in the capitals Hanoi and Vientiane.

The event was co-hosted by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), the Vietnam Institute of Economics, and the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences to mark VASS’s 70^th anniversary.

According to reports presented at the seminar, two-way trade between Vietnam and Laos has increased nearly ten-fold over the past 18 years, from $165 million in 2005 to $1.6 billion in 2022.

Vietnam has invested in more than 400 FDI projects in Laos, with total registered capital of an estimated $4.22 billion, in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and processing, and banking and finance, among others.

Trade and investment have contributed positively to socio-economic development in both countries, further strengthening the special friendship and cooperation between the two neighbors.