At the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse, King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida will pay a State visit to Viet Nam from September 14 to 16.

This will be the first State visit to Viet Nam by the King and Queen of Thailand. Previously, King Maha Vajiralongkorn visited Viet Nam in 1992 and 1997 when he was still Crown Prince.

The visit takes place as Viet Nam and Thailand celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1976-2026). Over the past half-century, bilateral ties have been nurtured through different stages, while political trust between the two countries has continued to be strengthened through regular high-level exchanges and contacts.

A significant milestone in this process was the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on May 16, 2025. The new framework has provided a foundation and momentum for the two sides to deepen cooperation and make it more substantive and effective.

This was clearly reflected in the continued high-level visits and contacts between the two countries throughout 2026. These included General Secretary and President To Lam’s official visit to Thailand from May 27 to 29, 2026; Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s official visit to Viet Nam from June 8 to 9, 2026; and the visit to Viet Nam by President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives Sophon Zaram from August 5 to 7, 2026.

The continued high-level visits and contacts demonstrate the importance the two countries attach to their bilateral ties, as well as their mutual understanding, political trust and determination to further consolidate and develop the Viet Nam-Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the years ahead.

Key highlights

In an interview with Newspaper of Industry and Trade, Trade Counsellor Le Huu Phuc of the Viet Nam Trade Office in Thailand said that, looking back on the 50-year journey of Viet Nam-Thailand diplomatic relations (August 6, 1976-August 6, 2026), the bilateral relationship represents one of the region’s notable success stories in transforming international relations in Southeast Asia.

From the early stages, the two countries have continuously strengthened political trust, expanded comprehensive cooperation and made positive contributions to ASEAN’s development.

Economic and trade cooperation has been a major highlight of bilateral relations. While two-way trade stood at around USD 100 million in 1991, it had risen to USD 22.1 billion by 2025. Thailand remains Viet Nam’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and its sixth-largest trading partner worldwide.

A notable feature has been the continued improvement in the quality of bilateral trade growth. After reaching a record USD 22.1 billion in 2025, Viet Nam-Thailand trade reached USD 13.2 billion in the first months of 2026, up 24% year on year. In particular, Viet Nam’s exports to Thailand reached USD 5.8 billion, up 35%, helping narrow the trade deficit with Thailand by 18%.

According to Le Huu Phuc, these results show that the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods has continued to strengthen, while also reflecting a more balanced and sustainable trend in bilateral trade relations.

The structure of trade has also shifted in a positive direction. Alongside traditional products, Vietnamese goods have become more deeply integrated into the region’s industrial and high-tech value chains.

Investment is another important pillar of bilateral economic relations. With total registered investment capital of more than USD 15.4 billion in Viet Nam, Thailand continues to demonstrate long-term confidence in Viet Nam’s investment environment through major projects by groups such as SCG, with the Long Son Petrochemical Complex, as well as CP, Central Retail, Amata and BJC/MM Mega Market.

Viet Nam’s enterprises have also gradually expanded their investments in Thailand in sectors such as aviation, renewable energy and trade, contributing to increasingly close links between the business communities of the two countries.

Beyond trade and investment cooperation, Viet Nam and Thailand are also important links in promoting regional connectivity, particularly through the development of the East-West Economic Corridor, connecting Myanmar, Thailand and Laos with Viet Nam. This has helped the two countries expand their space for cooperation and strengthen supply chain linkages within ASEAN.

Expanding new areas for cooperation

According to Le Huu Phuc, with an increasingly solid foundation of cooperation, there remains substantial room for economic cooperation between Viet Nam and Thailand, particularly as both countries are promoting a shift in their growth models toward green development, digitalization and sustainability.

The respective strengths and development needs of the two countries provide a basis for expanding links among businesses, localities, industries and markets, while enhancing their participation in regional supply and value chains. This is also a path for Viet Nam - Thailand economic relations to build on traditional areas of cooperation while adapting to new shifts in the regional and global economies.

Alongside economic cooperation, local-level cooperation, cultural exchanges, education, tourism and people-to-people connections have helped bring Viet Nam-Thailand relations closer to social life, creating a long-term foundation for mutual understanding and trust.

The increasingly close interconnection between economic interests and social ties has also added resilience to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, supporting substantive, stable and long-term development.

The depth of bilateral relations also carries significance within the ASEAN framework. Viet Nam and Thailand are both active members with many shared interests in strengthening ASEAN solidarity and resilience, enhancing connectivity and maintaining ASEAN centrality.

With the principle of “Putting businesses and localities at the center of service,” the Viet Nam Trade Office in Thailand is focusing on four key groups of solutions to contribute to the goal of raising bilateral trade to USD 25 billion.

First, the Trade Office is working to improve the quality of market research and forecasting and support businesses in accessing the Thai market. It is also strengthening the provision of information and early warnings on regulations issued by the Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), TISI standards and requirements related to green development, helping businesses proactively meet market requirements.

The Trade Office is also coordinating efforts to effectively implement agreements and commitments reached by the senior leaders of the two countries, stepping up investment promotion and technology cooperation in green transition, digital transformation and innovation. At the same time, it is strengthening links between domestic businesses and the Vietnamese business community and entrepreneurs in Thailand.

In the coming period, the Trade Office will continue supporting localities in expanding markets, promoting exports and tourism, and attracting investment, while leveraging the role of the Vietnamese business network in Thailand in connecting and promoting the consumption of Vietnamese goods.

With a solid political foundation, increasingly intertwined economic interests and close ties between the peoples of the two countries, Viet Nam-Thailand relations have favorable conditions to translate the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework into substantive and effective results. The 50-year journey of enduring friendship has laid an important foundation for the two countries to write new and brighter chapters in the history of bilateral relations, contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.