 |
| The gate of Vietnam Town in Thailand's Nakhon Phanom province (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) – The state visit to Vietnam from September 14-16 by Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida carries significance for bilateral ties, Chairman of the Vietnam – Thailand Friendship Association Sen. Lieut. Gen. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
Thanh, who is also former member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), said the visit’s timing matters as 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. It is also the first state visit to Vietnam by King Vajiralongkorn since he took the throne, following two prior trips as Crown Prince in 1992 and 1997.
The trip comes as both countries are working through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework they set up more than a year ago. Thailand's Royal Family choosing Vietnam as a destination underscores the special importance both sides attach to their traditional friendship and builds political trust at the highest level.
He said the visit will provide strong momentum to translate leaders’ commitments into concrete outcomes. Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to step up cooperation and economic connectivity in a mutually complementary manner, with new breakthroughs and qualitative advances, striving to raise two-way trade to 25 billion USD from the current 22 billion USD in a balanced and sustainable direction.
The visit is expected to ripple into people-to-people ties as well. The Thai Royal Family's affection for Vietnam and its people serve as a major source of pride that solidifies the social foundation for the two countries' friendship associations to expand trade, local partnerships; and cultural, education, sports and tourism exchanges.
Looking back on five decades of diplomatic ties, Thanh was pleased to see that the relationship has delivered comprehensive, strategic results. Political trust has deepened at the top, culminating in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a step that has safeguarded both countries' national security and tighten ASEAN's solidarity.
Economically, Thailand remains Vietnam's largest trade partner within ASEAN and ranks among the top nine sources of foreign direct investment in the country. The "Three Connects" mechanism has opened new ground for cooperation in digital transformation, green transition and sustainable development.
People-to-people exchanges underpin that progress, giving high-level commitments a social foundation to turn into action. The two countries' friendship associations run an annual joint conference, alternating host countries to review the year's cooperation and set the next year's agenda — a mechanism Thanh called unique among Vietnamese people's friendship associations.
Local-level ties have also deepened, linking northeastern Thai provinces such as Nakhon Phanom, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon with Vietnamese localities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Hue and Da Nang. That grassroots diplomacy has fed economic cooperation too, through the 2023 Vietnam-Thailand Business Forum in Bangkok, themed "1+1 = Borderless," connected small and medium-sized enterprises and young entrepreneurs from both countries around agricultural and other key goods.
Education and youth cooperation has also grown, spanning Vietnamese- and Thai-language courses at the University of Da Nang, Bamboo School scholarships for disadvantaged students, student exchanges linking FPT University with King Mongkut's universities, Khon Kaen University and Chulalongkorn University, and cultural knowledge competitions.
The two friendship associations also staged a friendly football match between the Vietnamese and Thai women's national U17 teams in April 2025. Separately, they donated a GE Healthcare Versana Balance ultrasound machine to a medical station in Nghe An's Nam Dan district and gave 300 pairs of eyeglasses and 300 gift packages to elderly residents of Dong Nai.
Thanh pointed to the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site, Vietnam Town in Udon Thani, and the Annam Buddhist sect's presence across Nakhon Phanom, Udon Thani and Sakon Nakhon as evidence of the two countries' cultural similarities and soft power reach.
The President Ho Chi Minh Relic Sites in Udon Thani, Nakhon Phanom and Phichit have become "red addresses" for Vietnamese and Thai visitors alike. Vietnam Town showcases Vietnamese cuisine, language and customs to Thais and foreigners, and reflects local authorities' recognition of the contributions ethnic Vietnamese have made to the region.
Successive Thai monarchs have backed Annam Buddhist temples, a patronage Thanh called a sign of appreciation toward the Thai community of Vietnamese descent. Annam Buddhism is now woven into Thailand's religious life, and its monks, nuns and followers regularly travel to Vietnam for major events, including the UN Day of Vesak, international Buddhist conferences and meetings with the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.
Those cultural ties have pulled the two countries’ people closer, building mutual understanding and strategic trust from the ground up. More than 100,000 Vietnamese now live in Thailand, contributing to their host country's development while staying attached to their homeland.
Those bonds and the overseas Vietnamese (OV) community's attachment to its roots are a source of spiritual strength for national development, in line with the Politburo's Resolution 23-NQ/TW dated August 2, 2026 on overseas Vietnamese affairs. The community's continued engagement functions as a bridge, deepening Thai understanding of Vietnamese culture and consolidating trust between the two countries' people.
Thanh said his association is now focused on a broader innovation drive. In early October 2026, with backing from Lao Cai province, the two associations will hold a joint cultural trip letting participants experience the "Art of Thai Xoe Dance" - UNESCO-listed since 2021 while opening doors for trade, economic ties and heritage tourism across the region.
The 15th Joint Conference will follow in early November 2026 in Chiang Mai, reviewing joint schemes and setting a 2027 agenda. The association also plans to work with the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House to launch a bilingual book, "Vietnam-Thailand: 50 years of cooperation for development (1976-2026)". In early December 2026, the two sides will visit the Prime factory and plant 50 friendship trees in Phu Tho, install a commemorative stone at the star fruit tree planted by President Ho Chi Minh in Nakhon Phanom, attend the Vietnam-ASEAN People's Forum, and expand sports exchanges.
Under the Resolution 23-NQ/TW, the association plans to pool OV business networks to link the two countries' supply chains in trade and logistics. Rather than sticking to border trade, it will work with relevant agencies and the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in Thailand to push larger business models, such as publicly listed companies, OV-owned conglomerates while investing in warehousing, logistics infrastructure and product standardisation to deepen market penetration on both sides and expand into international markets.
The association will also work with diplomatic missions to advise and connect OV investors entering Vietnam, and link OV intellectuals and younger generations to the country's digital transformation, green transition and innovation projects, Thanh added./.
