cooperation among ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) member parliaments in response to the pandemic, and the construction progress of the NA House of Laos during their phone talks on May 7.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (centre)

Briefing Pany on the COVID-19 fight in Vietnam, Ngan said that as of the morning of May 7, Vietnam had recorded now new infections in the community for 21 days and had successfully treated 232 patients, or 86 percent of the total.

With 271 cases in a population of nearly 100 million, the infection rate in Vietnam is among the world’s lowest, she said, adding that the country has basically pushed back the pandemic.

For her part, Pany said Vietnam’s experience in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is an invaluable lesson for all countries and Laos in particular.

As of the morning of May 7, Laos had reported 19 infections, eight of whom have fully recovered, and zero fatalities.

The Lao Government is gradually easing social distancing measures by allowing students to return to school, she said.

The Lao leader thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for providing timely support to Laos in its fight against COVID-19.

As Chair of the 41st AIPA General Assembly, Ngan called on the ASEAN Community to uphold a sense of solidarity and offer mutual support to each other to cope with the pandemic.

In a cohesive and responsive spirit, she affirmed that the Vietnamese legislature will do everything it can and partner with AIPA member parliaments to ensure its success as AIPA Chair in 2020 for the sake of peace, safety, and prosperity in each nation.

The top Lao lawmaker expressed her support for the sharing of experience between AIPA member parliaments in the fight against COVID-19, as Ngan wrote in a letter sent to the heads of AIPA member parliaments on March 30.

She believed that the Vietnamese NA will successfully organise the 41st AIPA General Assembly in the coming time.

The Vietnamese leader took the occasion to invite Pany to attend a meeting of ASEAN-AIPA leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit scheduled for late June in the central city of Da Nang. The Lao leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Regarding the construction of the NA House - a gift from the Vietnamese Party, State and people to Laos - both sides agreed to allow an additional 100 highly-skilled workers from Vietnam to take part in completing the work, with equipment to be imported and the remaining interior design to be completed shortly.

They expressed their determination to complete the project in December 2020 or early January 2021 to celebrate the 11th National Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.

The two leaders also pledged to continue discussing issues of mutual concern via phone talks at an appropriate time in the near future./.VNA