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.