Vientiane, VNA – During a visit to Laos from December 19 to 20, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, co-chaired a meeting with General Khamking Phuilamanyvong, Deputy Minister of Laos’ Ministry of Public Security, to review the progress of the population management and civil identification system project.
In his remarks, Nguyen emphasized the strategic importance of the project to the cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. The initiative not only modernizes social governance but also highlights the commitment of both nations to strengthening their partnership.
This was the first official meeting of the project’s steering committee since its approval by the two countries' leaders. The discussions focused on evaluating progress, addressing challenges, and reviewing results. Nguyen noted that both ministries had reached consensus on key aspects, including the integrated ID module, the structure of the electronic identification application, and digital forms. The project’s approval has laid the groundwork for establishing a population database, with plans to issue personal identification numbers to Lao citizens by March 2025.
Nguyen expressed optimism about the project’s success, citing the strong collaboration and determination of the two ministries.
General Khamking Phuilamanyvong acknowledged Vietnam’s significant support for the project and emphasized the importance of the meeting in assessing progress. He proposed further collaboration between the two ministries to enhance information sharing and refine policies related to data management and digital infrastructure.
On December 19, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long and his delegation also paid a courtesy visit to General Vilay Lakhamphong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security of Laos.
General Vilay commended the strong cooperation between the two ministries, particularly Vietnam’s support in organizing the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits. He noted that this partnership has not only earned recognition from the Lao Party and government but also deepened the special relationship between the two nations.