Phuc made the remark at a press briefing with his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith in Vietnamese capital Hanoi after the two co-chaired the 39th meeting of Vietnam-Laos Inter-Government Committee.
According to Phuc, in 2017 the two countries will expand cooperation in human resource training, investment in transportation infrastructure projects that links Vietnam and Laos, cooperation in management and sustainable use of water and other natural resources.
Highlighting ties between Vietnam and Laos in education, Phuc told reporters that currently, over 14,000 Lao students are studying in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnamese enterprises have invested in over 400 projects in Laos with total investment of around 3.7 billion U.S. dollars.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said that in 2017, Lao and Vietnam are celebrating the 55th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties and 40th anniversary of signing of Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
After the meeting, four cooperation documents were signed, including one on establishing a joint-venture company to invest into construction of Vietnam-Lao 500kV electricity transmission line.
Thongloun Sisoulith is visiting Vietnam from Tuesday to Wednesday.