Establishing diplomatic relations and exploring future cooperation opportunities with representatives of the Southeast Asian country.
The Ambassador of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to Hungary, Khamphone Vongsanty, and his delegation paid an official visit to Nyíregyháza on July 29, 2025. The diplomatic delegation was received by Dr. Ferenc Kovács, Mayor of Nyíregyháza, at the Town Hall, after which the program continued at the University of Nyíregyháza, where Dr. János Hárskuti, President, hosted the ambassador and his entourage.
The purpose of the visit was to explore opportunities for cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations. The meeting was made even more special by the fact that Khamphone Vongsanty speaks Hungarian fluently, so the entire discussion was conducted in Hungarian. Language skills not only enabled smooth communication but also more direct contact between the university and the diplomatic corps.
During the meeting, the current state of Hungarian-Laotian higher education relations was also discussed. Currently, approximately 150 Laotian scholarship students are studying at Hungarian universities, including two at the University of Nyíregyháza. The parties examined the possibilities for future student mobility, scientific cooperation, and training programs.
The ambassador's visit was preceded by an earlier diplomatic meeting: Dr. Ferenc Kovács and Khamphone Vongsanty met less than a month ago in Budapest at a reception hosted by the French ambassador, where the mayor of Nyíregyháza personally invited the diplomat to visit the county seat. The ambassador quickly accepted the invitation, signaling his openness to bilateral relations.
Laos and Hungary have had diplomatic relations since 1962, and over the years they have become increasingly close. One sign of this is that in 2015, Budapest established a sister city relationship with the Laotian capital, Vientiane – the first European city to enter into this type of cooperation.
The visit to Nyíregyháza is a further step in deepening relations between the two countries, with a particular focus on education and culture.