Vietnam reveres the late Lao PresidentSouphanouvong, who established the Vietnam-Laos special relations, saidVice State President Nguyen Thi Doan.

She made the remark at a reception in Hanoi on July 23 for a delegationof the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association members and reporters whowrote about the late Lao President and his family.

The guests are in Vietnam under the framework of a programme “trackingthe footsteps of President Souphanouvong” to mark the 100th anniversaryof the late Lao President’s birth.

Doan told the guests that the late Lao President set foot in manydifferent corners of Vietnam, from the north to the south, as he was incharge of designing and constructing a number of important public worksfor the Vietnamese people, such as the Bai Thuong dam in the centralprovince of Thanh Hoa and the Phan Thiet water tower in Binh Thuanprovince.

The State leader expressed her hope that the guests would feel the deepsentiments that the Vietnamese Party, State and people reserve forPresident Souphanouvong and the fraternal solidarity and friendshipbetween the Vietnamese and Lao people.

She noted that the special ties they share were fostered not only byPresidents Ho Chi Minh and Souphanouvong, but also by generations ofleaders and the people themselves, and that these ties continue to growin various fields and at all levels.

However, the Vietnamese leader pointed to the need to educate the twocountries’ younger generations on this relationship to further promoteit.

On behalf of other members from the delegation, Phouvong Vongphom fromthe Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association affirmed that the solidarity,special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Laos andVietnam are rare in the world.

The two parties, states and peoples have the responsibility to continuefostering these ties, following the wishes of the two late Presidents,Ho Chi Minh and Souphanouvong./.