Laos inks sea deal with Vietnam

Laos inks sea deal with Vietnam

HANOI (AFP): Landlocked Laos has signed an agreement with
Vietnam to provide it with improved communications to the outside
world through the central Vietnamese port of Vung Ang, the
official VNA news agency said on Tuesday.

During a visit to Vientiane Monday and Tuesday, Vietnamese
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai witnessed an agreement on the
construction of a new road linking the Lao capital to the
Vietnamese border, it said.

Work is already under way on the Vietnamese section of the
route from the border to Vung Ang.

Lao Prime Minister Sisavath Keobounphanh hailed a more than 50
percent increase in trade between the two countries last year
from US$216 million to $330 million, VNA said.

The two leaders also discussed measures to combat drug
trafficking across their 1,200-kilometer frontier.