On the morning of July 21, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Phan Thi Thang received a courtesy visit from a working delegation of the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce, led by Deputy Minister Phouthavanh Nanthavong. The working session offered an opportunity for the two sides to exchange experience on organizational structure, inspection and examination work, and domestic market management and development.

Attending the session on the Vietnamese side were Tran Huu Linh, Director of the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development, and To Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Market Development, along with officials from units under the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development.

On the Lao side, the delegation included leaders of the Inspection Department, officials from units under the Inspection Department and the ministry's Office, as well as the Economic and Trade Counsellor at the Lao Embassy in Vietnam.

At the reception, the Deputy Minister warmly welcomed the Lao delegation to Vietnam, affirming that the visit was not only an occasion to strengthen professional experience exchange but also a contribution to nurturing the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, the two States and the peoples of Vietnam and Laos.

According to the Deputy Minister, the cooperative relationship between the Vietnamese and Lao ministries of industry and trade has continued to be consolidated and developed in a substantive and effective manner, through various coordination mechanisms and specific cooperation programs. In particular, the establishment of the Coordination Committee for Cooperation between the two ministries has created a unified operating mechanism, contributing to urging, monitoring and effectively promoting the implementation of cooperation agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries.

On behalf of the delegation, Lao Deputy Minister Phouthavanh Nanthavong thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade for its warm reception, while noting that the visit held significant meaning in the context of the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce's ongoing implementation of a new organizational model.

At the session, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister gave an overview of the organizational model and operation of Vietnam's inspection and examination system. Accordingly, the National Assembly's oversight activities, the state inspection system and the Party's examination system are carried out in line with their respective functions, tasks and legal regulations; officials and Party members, in performing their duties, must comply simultaneously with both Party regulations and state laws.

The Deputy Minister said that at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the ministry's Party Committee provides comprehensive leadership over all areas of work, while the Party Committee's Examination Commission carries out examination and supervision of Party organizations and members according to management decentralization. Currently, the Party's examination work comprises two forms: supervision and examination.

Regarding the state inspection system, in line with the policy of reorganizing the state apparatus, inspection functions at ministries and sectors have been adjusted according to regulations set by competent authorities. At the Ministry of Industry and Trade, specialized units carry out examination functions within their assigned fields; through examination activities, violations are detected and handled, while shortcomings in mechanisms and policies are reviewed to propose amendments, supplements and improvements, contributing to enhancing the effectiveness of state management.

Highly appreciating the sharing from the Vietnamese side, the Lao Deputy Minister said that the objectives of inspection and examination work in the two countries are fundamentally similar, both aiming to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, although there are some differences in organizational structure and implementation methods. He expressed the hope that the two sides would continue to strengthen experience exchange, especially as both countries are stepping up reforms of their organizational apparatus and improving their management institutions.

Concluding the session, Deputy Minister Phouthavanh Nanthavong thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade for its thorough preparation of the working program and for creating favorable conditions for the delegation to exchange views and conduct field surveys. The Lao Deputy Minister expressed confidence that the outcomes of the visit would contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two ministries, while expressing the hope that the two sides would continue to maintain exchanges and share experience going forward.