Border Demarcation Enhances Peace between Laos and Vietnam

The recent success in border demarcation and restoration has enhanced peace and orderliness along the Laos-Vietnam border, according to Lao Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bounkeut Sangsomsak.

The deputy minister spoke to Lao and Vietnamese media at a press conference yesterday in Vientiane to confirm the completion of the project between the two neighbours that ran for more than a decade.

He described the completion of the project as “a significant achievement” in Lao-Vietnamese relations. Bounkeut added that this successful joint effort can be a model for border demarcations between other countries in the region.

Lao and Vietnamese leaders will host a big event to mark the completion on July 9.

Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung will be present at the celebration, which will take place at the Thanh Thuy-Nam On border crossing shared between Vietnam’s Nghe An province and Laos’ Borikhamxay province.

The Party and government leaders of the two countries have shared common intentions to make the Laos-Vietnam border “a border of peace and friendship” to bring about prosperity to its peoples.

He recalled that leaders of the countries signed a treaty that defined the shared borderline in 1977, which gave instructions for officials of both sides to survey and install border markers.

In 1986, Laos and Vietnam completed installing 214 markers along the overall shared border which measures some 2,067km.

“Since then Lao and Vietnamese people residing along the border live together peacefully and happily,” he told the media, adding that the two peoples have maintained regular exchanges and extended assistance to one another.

In 2008, the governments of the two countries began a project to restore and add new markers after recognising the need to install more in order to enhance peace and orderliness along the border.

At the project’s conclusion, the markers have increased from 214 to 835.

Bounkeut said Laos shares its longest border with Vietnam compared to other neighbours. Laos shares a 1,835km border with Thailand, 535km with Cambodia, 505km with China and 236km with Myanmar.

According to information from the Foreign Ministry, work is still proceeding on a demarcation project between Laos and Cambodia, where a 535km border needs to be marked and it is currently about 86 per cent complete.

A demarcation programme along the 735km land border with Thailand is 93 per cent complete. However, demarcation work to place markers on the 1,100 km water boundary is still in its early stages.

Laos has already concluded border demarcation works with China and Myanmar.