VSS Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh and Director General of the NSSO of Laos Keo Chanthavixay chaired the meeting.

Participants also included leaders of the International Cooperation Department of the VSS, the Quang Nam Province Social Insurance, the Hanoi Social Insurance and members of the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the NSSO.

A view of the meeting

Effective implementation of many cooperation activities

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director General of the VSS Dao Viet Anh said since 1998, the VSS established relations with the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Lao NSSO. The VSS always attaches great importance to the friendship and cooperation with Lao partners in the field of social security.

VSS and the NSSO of Laos have implemented many cooperation activities effectively, particularly the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding and the Action Plan during the 2016-2020 period.

Deputy Director General of the VSS Dao Viet Anh speaks at the meeting

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Laos and the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Laos-Vietnam and Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty, Deputy Director General of the VSS Dao Viet Anh stressed that VSS is willing to enhance friendship and cooperation with the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the NSSO of Laos and continues to implement cooperation activities in order to strengthen the relationship of the two agencies for mutual development and together carry out social security tasks to bring benefits for people and businesses of the two countries.

Director General of the NSSO of Laos Keo Chanthavixay spoke highly of the achievements gained in the cooperation between the two agencies as well as the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding during the 2016-2020 period. She also informed participants of the restructure of the NSSO over the past time and its tasks and orientations in the future, including the promotion of its cooperation with the VSS in implementing social security.

Director General of the NSSO of Laos Keo Chanthavixay speaks at the meeting

At the meeting, a representative from the International Cooperation Department of the VSS reported about the implementation results of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies during the 2016-2020 period. The two agencies organized many delegation visits at many levels to exchange information, experience and discuss the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies in Vietnam and Laos. Apart from bilateral cooperation activities, the two agencies have also actively exchanged, cooperated and supported each other during the framework of multilateral cooperation activities of the ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA).

After five years of implementing cooperation activities within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding during the 2016-2020 period, the VSS and the NSSO of Laos conducted five main cooperation activities with the participation of 95 officials of the two agencies. These activities have helped to improve the capacity of the officials and the quality of implementing social security policies of the two agencies as well as the international position of the two countries in terms of social security.

Cooperation orientations in the future

Participants at the meeting also pointed out shortcomings and limitations in cooperation between the two agencies. Before 2020, most of their cooperation activities were carried out as scheduled, however, some activities were implemented later, causing difficulties for the implementation of subsequent activities. Cooperation between the two agencies was still mostly conducted at the central level and was not expanded to the provincial level.

Delegates at the meeting

In order to address shortcomings, leaders of the VSS and the NSSO of Laos agreed to review and assess the efficiency and the quality of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding during the 2016-2020 period and prepare plans to sign the Memorandum of Understanding during the 2022-2025 period.

Participants discussed the draft content of the Memorandum of Understanding for the 2022-2025 period, which outlines fields of cooperation relating to improving the capacity of officials in implementing social security policies, including raising the capacity of officials in simplifying administrative procedures in the field of social security; improving the capacity of officials in carrying out digital transformation in social security; improving the capacity of officials in proposing and consulting the implementation of social security policies; sharing experience in building and implementing social security policies; and continuing to expanding fields of cooperation in line with the capacity and demand of each agency.

 Participants at the meeting

Forms of cooperation will include joint technical and research activities, organizing conferences, workshops, and short-term training courses; and exchanging information and experience in implementing the social security policies of each country. 

 The NSSO of Laos presents Certificates of Merits to individuals and organisations of the VSS for their efforts in cooperation between the two agencies

In the future, the two agencies will complete a report assessing the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding during the 2016-2020 period and reach an agreement on cooperation orientations as well as finalise the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the next period. 

The VSS and the NSSO of Laos plan to sign their Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation during the 2022-2025 period on the sidelines of the 39th Board Meeting of the ASEAN Social Security Association scheduled to be held in Laos in November 2022./.