Head of the Royal Thai Consulate General in HCM City, Wiraka Moodhitaporn, and chairman of the Đà Nẵng People's Committee Phạm Đức Ấn exchange in a working visit by the Thai partner in Đà Nẵng City. The two sides agreed to boost co-operation and investment in the coming time. VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG – Thailand will be promoting a series of programmes and activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Việt Nam. Key Thai businesses have been expanding investment in Đà Nẵng as part of the newly signed comprehensive strategic partnership deal between the two countries.

Head of the Royal Thai Consulate General in HCM City Wiraka Moodhitaporn said during a working visit to Đà Nẵng that Central Retail plans to open more supermarkets in Việt Nam.

Moodhitaporn urged the central city to designate possible locations for Thailand's largest retailer to speed up construction on new stores, as the company plans further investment expansion in the near future.

She said the cooperation and friendship between Thailand and Đà Nẵng has been growing, with Thai businesses providing community support programmes and scholarships for several localities in Việt Nam.

“Thailand, in cooperation with Đà Nẵng University, officially debuted a Thai language course of study from 2006, and at least VNĐ900 million (US$35,000) in scholarships have been provided to local students studying the Thai language. Support funds have also been given to Thai language teaching programmes," Moodhitaporn said.

Major investment projects from Central Retail have already started construction in the city, including an MM Mega Market and Go! store.

Việt Nam and Thailand have been enhancing their strategic partnership in terms of supply chains for supporting industries and connecting grassroots economies, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as collaborating on sustainable development strategies, according to Moodhitaporn.

Đà Nẵng's Tiên Sa Port is a key logistics service connecting ASEAN and international maritime services. The city has been calling for investment in deep-sea ports and other infrastructure. Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng Port Company

She added that Đà Nẵng and localities in Thailand could open caravan tour services via the East-West Economic Corridor and well-invested infrastructure connections with Thailand's northeastern region.

Vietnamese tech giant FPT Group has also been enhancing its connections with Thailand, while Air Asia, Thai VietJet and Vietnam Airlines are operating direct air routes connecting Đà Nẵng with Thai cities, she said.

Newly appointed Chairman of Đà Nẵng's People's Committee Phạm Đức Ấn said that the city would offer the best conditions to support Thai investors.

He said 12 Thai businesses have already spent $95 million in Đà Nẵng in the retail, garment, IT, agriculture and trade service sectors.

Ấn said Đà Nẵng has strong ties with localities in Thailand, including Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani and will soon work with Mukdahan as well.

Last year, Đà Nẵng also hosted ‘The Meet Thailand’, an event aimed at exchanging opportunities and promoting cooperation among localities and businesses in Việt Nam and Thailand, he said.

Đà Nẵng is a key gateway to the Asia Pacific and the East-West Economic Corridor connecting Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Việt Nam with good investment infrastructure.

Thailand's Central Retail has committed to investing $1.5 billion to build a series of supermarkets and retail shopping centres in Việt Nam through 2027. VNS