COMPREHENSIVE COOPERATION BETWEEN BINH DINH AND CHAMPASAK
Sunday - 06/12/2020 15:40
Binh Dinh and Champasak are two sister provinces and have signed Memoranda of Understanding for comprehensive cooperation in many fields. Looking back on the past 10 years (2010-2020), we can see that the leaders and people of the two provinces have achieved many impressive results, contributing to the consolidation of the friendship cooperation relation of mutual development.
Vietnam and Laos are two neighboring countries that share the same mountains and rivers, and the relation between the two peoples has been formed and fostered in thousands of years of nation construction and protection. The good traditional relationbetween the peoples of Vietnam and Laos, established by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kaysone Phomvihane, preserved and promoted by the generations of leaders of the two Parties, States and peoples of the two countries, has become an invaluable asset and the common development rules of the two nations on the path of developing prosperous countries with happy peoples.
Over the years, with such a traditional friendship, close relationshave been established between the localities of Vietnam and the ones of Laos. The assistance and cooperation between the two sides come from a feeling of attachment and an objectiverequirement. Binh Dinh province has established the friendship cooperation relation with fourSouthern provinces of Laos. The leaders of Binh Dinh province and of the Southern provinces of Laos conducted exchanges of delegations and signed cooperation programmes for periods. The cooperation programmes have been implemented by the sectors, organizations and enterprises of the two sides with many impressive results, in which Binh Dinh province and Champasak province havealso achieved many practical effects in the bilateral ties.
In the 2010-2020 period, the high-level leaders of the two provinces have conducted exchanges of visits and experience in construction of the Party and the political system, socio-economic development, security and defense, propaganda for awareness raising and promotion of the comprehensive cooperation programme between the two provinces. The two sides often exchange visits, provide support for each other, especially in the difficult circumstances. Champasak province provided an amount of USD10,000 for Binh Dinh province to overcome the consequences of the typhoon No. 12 (Damrey) in late 2017. In contrast, Binh Dinh province provided VND300 million for Champasak province to overcome the consequences of floods and disasters. To help the pupils and teachers at the area at km35, Paksong district, Champasak province have better conditions for learning and teaching, Binh Dinh province has provided financial support of VND 10 billion for Champasak province to build a two storey building with 10 classrooms at Y Tu high school in Champasak province.
In the spirit of "helping you is helping myself", every year, the army forces of the province pay visits, give gifts, take medical examinations and treatment and supply medicine to the people in Champasak province, especially after the floods and natural disasters; provide Champasak with the office supplies, medical equipment and tools for prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic; provide financial support for the Military Command of Champasak province to build and consolidate the barracks. In recognition of the valuable and timely support provided by the Military Command of Binh Dinh province, the State of Laos awarded the third class Labor Order to the Military Command of Binh Dinh province.
In the field of human resource training cooperation, over the past 10 years, Binh Dinh province has granted 50 scholarships and Quy Nhon University (has) granted 02 scholarships to the students of Champasak province to study in five years inclusive of one year of learning Vietnamese at Quy Nhon University. From 2014 to now, the province has also granted 30 scholarships to the students of Champasak province to attend the vocational training from the intermediate professional education diploma level to the degree of associate level at Quy Nhon College of Engineering and Technology and provided the short-term training courses for the teachers of the Vocational Training College of Champasak province. In contrast, Champasak province has also granted 10 scholarships to the cadres of Binh Dinh province to study the Lao language at Champasak University.
The agricultural sector of the province has sent 01 veterinarian and 01 aquatic engineer to Champasak province in a period of four months to help and transfer the techniques to the agricultural technicians and farmers of Champasak province; helped Champasak province build 05 VAC (combination of garden, pond and farmstead)agricultural extension models and provided it with 05 fish breeds with the quantity of 2,000heads and10 female pigs. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Dinh province received and exchanged experience and professional knowledge with the delegations of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry of Champasak province.
Amusic performanceby the Laotian students at the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the National Day
of the Lao PDRat Quy Nhon University (Photo Credit: IPC Binh Dinh)
There were also many activities of exchange between the youths of the two provinces. The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Binh Dinh province and the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Champasak province actively exchanged activities and shared the good ideas in the youth gathering and solidarity, the economic development models; supported each other in training the young people to set up careers and to improve their knowledge of the regional and international integration; organized the social security activities, etc. The two sides cooperated to introduce the information on the traditional history of the two countries, the special friendship and solidarity relation between Vietnam and Laos, the cooperation relation between the two provinces of Binh Dinh and Champasak, especially among the students of the two provinces. In 2016, the Youth Union of Binh Dinh province granted 02 scholarships worth VND 100 million each to the students of Champasak province to study at Quy Nhon University. Cooperation in the fields of health, information and communications, justice, culture, sports, tourism, industry and trade, science and technology are regularly maintained with the exchanges of delegations, activities of exchange and sharing of experience.
In addition to the activities of solidarity, friendship, mutual assistance and sharing of experience, the investment cooperation between the two sides also achieved the remarkable results. The greatest result is the pharmaceutical joint venture between Binh Dinh Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Company (Bidiphar) and Champasak Pharmaceutical Processing Enterprise, which jointly established CBF Pharmaceutical Joint Venture Company in 1994 with a total investment capital of USD 02 million. Over 25 years of establishment and development, CBF PHARMA Company has affirmed its position as the leading manufacturer and distributor of medicines, chemicals and medical equipment and tools and as a strong brand name in Laos, which is considered a symbol of the friendship between Binh Dinh province and Champasak province. Besides, Binh Dinh-Champasak Friendship Coffee Company (CBF Coffee) has planted about 457hectares of coffee trees in Champasak province. The investment projects of the enterprises of Binh Dinh province in Champasak province have created jobs with stable incomes for the local people,helped develop the countryside and changed the production practices of the Laotian people in the project areas.
In the time to come, the two provinces will continue strengthening the activities of exchange, exchanges of high-level delegations, activities of friendship solidarity andactivities of mutual assistance and continue effectively carrying out the specificactivities of cooperation in security- defense, education and training,agriculture,health, culture and sports, information and communications, etc.
It is strongly hoped that with such a solid foundation, the two sides will continue to promote cooperation, constantly tightening the traditional friendship and solidarity relation between the two provinces.