The central province of Thua Thien-Hue and the neighbouring country of Laos have enjoyed fruitful co-operation in various fields over the past year, said a provincial official on December 17.

According to Ho Viet Ba, head of the provincial Party Committee Office, educational establishments in Thua Thien-Hue province received an additional 85 Lao students in 2008, raising the total number of Lao students studying in the province to 367.

The province also helped to provide Vietnamese language and information technology training for Lao officials and teachers.

Thua Thien-Hue extended special assistance to Lao localities situated along the two countries’ common border, including providing scholarships and covering school fees for students from Sekong province in Laos.

The province has invested almost VND 10 billion in the construction of student accommodation facilities for Lao students in Hue city.

Thua Thien-Hue and Salavan provinces organised an exchange between youths from the Vietnamese and Lao border areas, as well as a football match between Huda Hue and a team representing the Lao People’s Army.

In 2008 alone, the Thua Thien - Hue health sector sent 15 delegations to provide free health examination and treatment for residents in Laos’ Salavan and Sekong provinces.

The Hue-based Huong Giang Tourism Joint Stock Company worked closely with Savannakhet province to promote the images of the two provinces along the length of the trans-Asia road, which runs from Thailand, through Laos and into Vietnam. The two sides co-operated in welcoming over 8,000 tourist arrivals, generating VND 15.7 billion in revenue. (VNA)