VIENTIANE, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith will lead a Lao delegation to visit Vietnam and co-chair the annual Laos-Vietnam cooperation committee meeting scheduled on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6.
The prime minister's visit is at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Thursday.
A source at the Laos-Vietnam cooperation committee confirmed the planned visit, saying the Lao side is making preparations for talks at the committee's 41st meeting. Many cooperation documents are being prepared and are expected to be signed, including one relating to education.
The two premiers are set to review cooperation between Laos and Vietnam over the past year, especially the implementation of cooperation projects agreed by the leaders of both countries.
They will also outline shortcomings in their cooperation and discuss ways to address these and move forward.
The two sides have agreed to push forward with several mega projects including the development of the Vung Ang seaport, a joint-venture project in Vietnam's central Ha Tinh province, which will give landlocked Laos access to sea trading routes.
A planned expressway, known as the Vientiane-Hanoi expressway linking the capitals of the two countries, is another large-scale project agreed by both sides with the goal of improving transport links.
Asked if these two projects would be tabled at the meeting, the source said that since both sides were monitoring cooperation progress, any shortcomings were expected to be raised and discussed to maintain momentum of the implementation of the projects.
The source, quoted by the daily, added that the Vietnamese side was in the process of transferring shares of up to 60 percent of the Vung Ang seaport project to the Lao side after Vietnam agreed that Laos would hold a majority stake in the project in line with a request made by Laos.
