At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam To Lam and his spouse, King of the Kingdom of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana will pay a State visit to Viet Nam from September 14 to 16, 2026.
On this occasion, Nhan Dan Newspaper spoke with Senior Lieutenant General, Professor and Doctor Nguyen Van Thanh, former Party Central Committee member and Chairman of the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association, about the significance of the visit and prospects for Viet Nam-Thailand relations in the coming period.
Q: King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana will pay a State visit to Viet Nam from September 14 to 16. In your view, what significance will the visit have in promoting bilateral Viet Nam-Thailand relations in general, as well as friendship and cooperation between the two peoples?
A: King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana will pay a State visit to Viet Nam at the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse. This is a highly significant diplomatic event in 2026, which marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Thailand (1976-2026), and represents a prominent milestone in the development of bilateral relations. It is also King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s first visit to Viet Nam as King, following his visits in 1992 and 1997 when he was Crown Prince.
The visit takes place in a special context as the two sides have been actively implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework since May 2025. The Thai Royal Family’s choice of Viet Nam as a destination demonstrates the special importance attached to the traditional friendship between the two neighbouring countries and strengthens political trust at the highest level.
For bilateral Viet Nam-Thailand cooperation, the visit will provide strong impetus for economic, cultural, trade and investment cooperation, contributing to the goal of raising bilateral trade to 25 billion USD at an early date.
The presence of the King of Thailand will help translate into concrete action the high-level diplomatic commitments made by the two countries’ leaders, particularly the commitment to effectively implement the “Three connections” strategy. These include supply-chain connectivity, linking production and economies between the two countries; business and local connectivity, promoting cooperation between provinces and cities and the business communities; and connectivity in sustainable growth strategies, with a focus on green and circular development and innovation.
In particular, for people-to-people relations, the visit will have an extremely positive and far-reaching impact. The image of the Thai Royal Family showing deep affection for Viet Nam and its people will provide a major source of inspiration, fostering national pride and further strengthening solidarity and bonds between the two peoples. This will provide a solid social foundation for the friendship associations of the two countries to step up friendship activities in culture, education, sports and tourism.
I am firmly confident that this meaningful visit will mark a new milestone in the history of bilateral relations, bringing Viet Nam-Thailand friendship to greater depth, substance, sustainability and effectiveness for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Q: As Chairman of the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association, how do you assess the achievements of bilateral Viet Nam-Thailand relations?
A: Looking back on 50 years of Viet Nam-Thailand diplomatic relations (August 1976-August 2026), I am pleased to see that the friendship and cooperation between the two countries have achieved comprehensive, remarkable and strategic achievements.
In terms of politics and security, political trust between the two countries has been continuously strengthened at the highest level. The elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is vivid evidence of the close bonds and shared interests between the two countries, helping firmly safeguard their respective national security and contributing to ASEAN solidarity.
In economic and trade relations, economic cooperation continues to be a bright spot in bilateral ties. Thailand remains Viet Nam’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and is among the nine countries and territories with the largest foreign direct investment in Viet Nam. The “Three connections” cooperation mechanism has opened up additional space for cooperation between the two countries in digital transformation, green transition and sustainable development.
In people-to-people and cultural exchanges, these serve as the “strong bond” nurturing Viet Nam-Thailand friendship. People-to-people diplomacy provides a solid social foundation for translating high-level commitments into practical action. The friendship associations of the two countries regularly organise exchanges and friendship cooperation activities, particularly the annual Joint Conference mechanism between the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association and the Thailand-Viet Nam Friendship Association, which is held alternately in the two countries. This year, the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association will send a delegation to Thailand, scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. Last year, we had the honour of welcoming the Thai delegation to Hai Phong, the city of flamboyant flowers, in December 2025.
These achievements provide a solid foundation for the two countries to move towards new levels of friendship and cooperation.
The State visit to Viet Nam by King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana takes place in a special context as the two sides have been actively implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework since May 2025. The Thai Royal Family’s choice of Viet Nam as a destination demonstrates the special importance attached to the traditional friendship between the two neighbouring countries and strengthens political trust at the highest level.
Senior Lieutenant General, Professor and Doctor Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman of the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association
Q: People-to-people diplomacy is considered an important bridge for promoting friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the peoples of Viet Nam and Thailand. Could you share some of the results of cooperation between the two peoples through people-to-people diplomacy in recent years?
A: In recent years, with sincere affection and enthusiasm, the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association and the Thailand-Viet Nam Friendship Association have jointly implemented many meaningful cooperation activities, with several notable and substantive results.
First, regular exchanges and interaction have been maintained, particularly through the annual Joint Conference between the two associations, held alternately in each country. I would like to emphasise that this is a special mechanism and, to date, the only one of its kind among people-to-people friendship associations in Viet Nam. It enables the two sides to promptly translate high-level leaders’ commitments into practical action.
Second, cooperation and connectivity between localities, particularly between several provinces in northeastern Thailand such as Nakhon Phanom, Udon Thani and Sakon Nakhon and Vietnamese provinces and cities including Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Hue and Da Nang, have become increasingly substantive. Recently, while coordinating with Nghe An Province to organise a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Thailand diplomatic relations, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with many Vietnamese expatriates in northeastern Thailand. I was particularly moved by their deep attachment to their homeland and their contributions to Viet Nam-Thailand friendship and the shared prosperity of the two countries.
Third, the associations have contributed to promoting economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. The two friendship associations have jointly organised a number of Viet Nam-Thailand business connectivity activities, including the 2023 Viet Nam-Thailand Business Forum in Bangkok under the theme “1+1 = no borders”. These activities have created additional opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises and young businesses from the two countries to explore markets, address legal barriers, connect agricultural products and complementary strengths, and cooperate for mutual development.
Fourth, cooperation in education, culture, languages and among younger generations has been strengthened. Programmes teaching Vietnamese to Thai students and Thai to Vietnamese students have been promoted at several educational institutions. Notably, cooperation has been carried out at the University of Da Nang, while the Thai side has provided study scholarships at Bamboo School for several Vietnamese students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Student exchanges between educational institutions in the two countries have also been promoted, including programmes between FPT University and King Mongkut’s University, Khon Kaen University and Chulalongkorn University. Contests on Vietnamese and Thai culture organised by the Thailand-Viet Nam Friendship Association in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand have also attracted many young participants.
Some notable and highly meaningful activities in recent years include the joint organisation by the two friendship associations of a friendly football match between the national U17 women’s teams of Viet Nam and Thailand at the People’s Police Academy of Viet Nam in April 2025; the donation of a GE Healthcare Versana Balance ultrasound machine to Nam Dan District Medical Centre in Nghe An Province; and the presentation of 300 pairs of glasses and 300 gift packages to association members and elderly people in Dong Nai.
Through these substantive activities, the two friendship associations have strongly spread the “Mekong spirit” — a spirit in which the river does not divide us but serves as a bond connecting the hearts of the two peoples.
Q: Could you tell us what activities the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association plans to undertake in the coming period to further promote friendship and cooperation between the two peoples?
A: In 2026, we plan to carry out a number of prominent cooperation activities.
On October 5 and 6, with the support and facilitation of the Lao Cai provincial authorities, the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association and the Thailand-Viet Nam Friendship Association will jointly organise a cultural journey entitled “Viet Nam-Thailand: 50 Years of Companionship, 30 Years of People-to-People Diplomacy and the Cultural Colours of the Thai Ethnic Community in the Northwest”. Participants will have an opportunity to explore and experience the culture of the Thai ethnic community in the Northwest, particularly the intangible cultural heritage of “Xoe Thai”, which was inscribed by UNESCO on December 15, 2021. The programme will also create opportunities for businesses from the two countries to connect economically and develop interregional ecotourism and heritage tourism routes.
Next, in November 2026, we will organise the 15th Joint Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As mentioned above, this is an important annual cooperation mechanism between the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association and the Thailand-Viet Nam Friendship Association. At the conference, the leaders of the two associations will comprehensively review and assess their cooperation programmes and discuss orientations for cooperation in 2027, with a view to further translating the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries into substantive action. On this occasion, we plan to coordinate with the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House to introduce the bilingual Vietnamese-Thai book “Viet Nam-Thailand: 50 Years of Cooperation for Development (1976-2026)”.
In addition, in early December 2026, the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association is expected to coordinate a visit to the Thai-owned Prime Factory and plant 50 friendship trees in Phu Tho Province. We also plan to erect a stone stele at the star fruit tree planted by President Ho Chi Minh in Nakhon Phanom at an appropriate time.
The Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association is also actively participating in the organisation of the Viet Nam-ASEAN People’s Forum, scheduled for late 2026. In addition, we are considering organising a number of sports exchange activities in the future.
Q: With a community of more than 100,000 people, the Vietnamese community in Thailand serves as a bridge of friendship and remains closely connected with its homeland. In your view, what will the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association do in the coming period to encourage and mobilise the Vietnamese community overseas to make greater contributions to national development in the new era, in the spirit of Politburo Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW dated August 2, 2026, on overseas Vietnamese affairs?
A: The Vietnamese community in Thailand enjoys a stable life, makes positive contributions to the development of the country of the Golden Temple, and remains closely connected with its homeland. This is a valuable resource for national construction and development in the new era, in line with the spirit of Politburo Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs. To harness this potential, our association will work with the community to carry out several key activities.
First, we will leverage the commercial and logistics strengths of Vietnamese businesspeople overseas to promote supply-chain connectivity between the two countries, contributing to expanding markets for Vietnamese and Thai goods.
At present, businesses owned by Vietnamese expatriates continue to cooperate effectively with Vietnamese partners, but their activities are mainly focused on cross-border trade promotion. In the long term, we will seek to work with relevant Vietnamese authorities to support and advise the community, through the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in Thailand, in developing larger-scale business models with greater capital resources and modern management, such as publicly listed companies or overseas Vietnamese business groups. At the same time, we will focus on investing in warehousing and logistics infrastructure and standardising product standards, creating sufficient capacity to bring products from the two countries deeper into each other’s markets and into international markets.
Second, we will closely coordinate with diplomatic missions and relevant authorities of the two countries to provide legal support and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese expatriates to invest and do business in their homeland.
Third, we will connect overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and younger generations to participate in projects on digital transformation, green transition, science and technology development and the promotion of innovation in Viet Nam.
Thank you very much!
