Khammuan: Vietnam’s Ca Mau Province was awarded the First-Class Labour Medal, one of Laos’ highest honours, during a ceremony in Khammuan Province on March 31. This prestigious award was bestowed by the President of the Lao PDR.
According to Lao News Agency, the award acknowledges Ca Mau’s significant cooperation and financial backing for Khammuan’s development efforts. The ceremony also marked the 45th anniversary of the Laos-Vietnam Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (1977-2022) and the 60th anniversary of Laos-Vietnam diplomatic relations (1962-2022).
Mr. Vanxay Phongsavanh, Governor of Khammuan, presented the award to Mr. Nguyen Ho Hai, Secretary of the Ca Mau Provincial Party Committee. The event was attended by the Chairman of the Khammuan People’s Council, the Vietnamese Consul General to Savannakhet, and senior provincial officials from both provinces.
On October 24, 2023, Laos’ Prime Minister authorized the Governor of Khammuan to confer this honour on behalf of the Lao government. During the ceremony, certificates of appreciation were also given to the Ca Mau Provincial Party Office, the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, and the Ca Mau Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs for their substantial support to Khammuan from 2017 to 2022.
Since 2019, Ca Mau Province has been awarding annual scholarships worth 1 billion VND (approximately US$40,000) to Khammuan. Furthermore, the Vietnamese province is currently financing a 3 billion VND (US$120,000) integrated rice-shrimp farming project aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture in Laos’ central region.