Relationship dossier
Laos
Vietnam
Relationship assessment
Laos and Vietnam sustain a close political and security partnership underpinned by a longstanding treaty.
Laos toward Vietnam
+75The Lao government maintains close ruling-party and state ties with Vietnam and participates in political, security, and economic cooperation under the 1977 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
Vietnam toward Laos
+75The Vietnamese government sustains close ruling-party and state ties with Laos and provides cooperation in security, training, and economic development under the 1977 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
Overall relationship
+75The relationship is a durable strategic partnership built on shared ruling-party ties, a formal treaty framework, and sustained political, security, and economic cooperation. This structure has persisted across decades and is closer than ordinary diplomatic alignment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Laos and Vietnam maintain a close, durable relationship grounded in ruling-party ties and the 1977 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. Their governments sustain high-level political coordination and cooperation in security, training, and economic development. The relationship reflects longstanding strategic alignment, although the precise scope and implementation of particular cooperation programs are not fully clear.
Key developments
Laos and Vietnam signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, formalizing a framework for close political, security, and economic ties.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of current security and economic cooperation programs are unclear.
- The extent of Laos's policy coordination with Vietnam on specific regional issues is uncertain.