• - Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Vientiane Mayor Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune to sign a MOU for friendly cooperation on 5th November, Thursday
• - Agreement on cooperation in i) water and sewage system development, ii) urban planning, iii) electronic government system, iv) transportation, v) tourism and culture.
• - Expected to contribute to solving Vientiane’s urban problems by sharing The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s experience and know-how.
• - Great interest in The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s urban planning and transportation system. Planned to visit and experience first-hand Seoul’s urban planning briefing and traffic information center.

SEOUL, Nov. 5, 2015 – Seoul and Vientiane, the capital of Laos, are to form a friendly relationship where they share successful cases of policies in economy, transportation, environment, culture, tourism, and urban planning.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that Mayor Park Won-soon and Mayor Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune of Vientiane are going to sign a “Seoul-Vientiane MOU” on Thursday, 4:50 pm, in the video conference room on the 6th floor of City Hall.

The MOU is the reason for the visit to Seoul by the Mayor of Vientiane. It follows the visit to Vientiane last June by Seoul’s Deputy Mayor of Political Affairs, for discussions on water and sewage system development, urban planning, electronic government, culture, and transportation.

Laos is an ‘ASEAN’ member country that has once been called the “Hidden Country”, but is growing rapidly, recently achieving high annual economic growth rates of 7 to 8%. Also, it is gaining popularity among the citizens of Seoul as a tourist attraction, following its recent introduction on various TV programs.

Vientiane has been experiencing difficulties due to heavy traffic, and problems in water supply, sewage treatment, and waste processing as a downside to its rapid economic growth that resulted from recent continued investment centered on Vientiane. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s accumulated experience and know-how on urban management may hopefully contribute to Vientiane’s solution of its urban problems.

Accordingly, the two cities are signing an MOU that promises to share policies in various matters such as water supply and sewage system development, urban planning, electronic government, and transportation, and also to form a basis for cooperation in culture and tourism that the citizens can experience.

Also, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is going to strengthen the exchange between two cities in the field of electronic government system, and urban planning, by advising Vientiane to join international organizations (CITYNET, WeGO) in which Seoul is the main leader.

“I am very happy to start this friendly cooperation between Seoul and Vientiane by signing the MOU. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will fully support the urban development of Vientiane with sharing best practices and policies of Seoul and build the cooperation process for both cities that can establish sustainable development.” said Mayor Park.