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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung (R) grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency (Photo: VNA) |
Bangkok (VNA) – The upcoming official visit to Thailand by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam is expected to create fresh momentum for bilateral ties, bringing the Vietnam-Thailand relations to a new height, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung.
Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Bangkok ahead of the May 27-29 visit, Hung described the trip as especially significant as it marks the first-ever visit to Thailand by a Party General Secretary and State President of Vietnam. The visit also comes at a time when Vietnam and Thailand are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and bilateral relations are developing strongly and comprehensively.
He said the trip will provide an opportunity for leaders of both countries to review achievements over the past five decades while opening up new directions for cooperation, helping elevate bilateral ties to a deeper and more effective level in line with the interests of both peoples and the goals of regional peace, cooperation and development.
Reviewing the progress of bilateral relations, the ambassador noted that Vietnam–Thailand ties have strengthened steadily, particularly since Vietnam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Relations are now expanding across all fields under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework established in May last year.
Political trust has been reinforced through regular and sincere exchanges among key leaders at multiple levels. The two countries currently maintain 10 cooperation and dialogue mechanisms covering diplomacy, defence, security and economic cooperation, while more than 20 pairs of localities have established partnerships through memoranda of understanding.
Economic cooperation has emerged as a major pillar of bilateral ties, he said, noting that Thailand is among Vietnam’s leading economic partners both in ASEAN and the world. Thailand currently ranks eighth among foreign investors in Vietnam, with nearly 800 projects worth more than 15 billion USD.
Bilateral trade has also grown strongly, with both sides targeting 25 billion USD in trade turnover. Last year, two-way trade exceeded 22 billion USD, up around 10% year-on-year.
People-to-people exchanges and tourism have become increasingly vibrant, with more than one million visits exchanged annually. Around one million Vietnamese tourists visit Thailand each year, while between 400,000 and 500,000 Thai visitors travel to Vietnam for tourism and business.
According to Hung, such exchanges not only strengthen tourism cooperation but also deepen cultural understanding and create new opportunities for businesses and localities. Cooperation in education, culture, science-technology and sports has also been maintained regularly.
Regarding the highlights of the visit, the ambassador said high-level meetings and talks between General Secretary and President Lam and Thailand’s top leaders will help further strengthen political trust and lay a solid foundation for expanded cooperation between agencies, localities and people of both countries.
Economic cooperation is also expected to feature prominently, with businesses from both sides holding exchanges aimed at promoting investment, trade and broader partnerships.
Hung added that General Secretary and President Lam will meet members of the Vietnamese community in Thailand, which numbers more than 100,000 people. He described the overseas Vietnamese community as a symbolic bridge of friendship contributing significantly to bilateral relations.
Looking ahead, the ambassador stressed the importance of translating the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into more substantive cooperation through a detailed action programme involving ministries, agencies and localities from both sides.
A key focus, he noted, will be the “Three Connections” initiative, covering supply chain connectivity, connectivity between businesses and people, and cooperation in sustainable development.
Closer supply chain integration, he said, will help Vietnam further expand its global trade networks by leveraging Thailand’s strong regional and international supply chain capabilities.
He also highlighted the importance of deepening links among localities, businesses and people, while noting that both countries share common interests in addressing climate change, non-traditional security challenges, digital transformation, the green economy and the digital economy.
Hung expressed confidence that with strong political trust and broad cooperation potential, Vietnam and Thailand will continue working closely together to elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to new heights in the coming years./.
