Vietnamese lawmakers made a week-long visit, from October 4-11, to Myanmar and Thailand to seek ways and means to boost the friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between the law-making bodies.

The lawmakers from the Vietnam-ASEAN Friendship Parliamentarian Group were led by their President Ngo Duc Manh, who is also Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Affairs.

In Myanmar, the Vietnamese legislators learnt about the progress of administration building process, activities of judicial agencies, and explored possibilities for economic and trade co-operation between the two countries.

They also held working sessions and discussions with the Secretary General of the Council for Peace and Development, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Mayors of Yangon and Naypyidaw.

In Thailand , the Vietnamese officials had working sessions with officials from the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarian Group and the Thai House of Representatives’ Committee for External Affairs and paid a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

During these sessions, Thai and Vietnamese officials discussed ways to promote the lawmakers’ friendship group’s role in boosting the two countries’ multi-dimensional ties and bilateral coordination at regional and international parliamentary forums.

The Thai officials shared with the Vietnamese officials their experiences in organising the AIPA-30 General Assembly and expressed their belief that Vietnam will successfully assume the AIPA-31 Chair in the 2009-2010 term. (VNA)