Ambassador of Thailand to Việt Nam, Nikorndej Balankura, wrote to Việt Nam News on Thailand's National Day

December 5 holds great significance for Thai people as it marks three auspicious occasions, namely, the Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, Thailand’s Father day, and Thailand’s National Day.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, who was deeply revered by the Thai people and highly regarded as “father of the nation”, devoted himself tirelessly to uplifting the well-being of Thai people, inclusive of their ethnicity, religion or legal status.

More than 4,000 royal projects were launched nationwide to address poverty, unemployment, inequality, environmental degradation, and unsustainable agriculture. Human development was placed at the heart of these projects with empowerment and self-reliance as the ultimate goal. In 2006, His Majesty the late King’s accomplishments in the field of development were awarded the UNDP Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Nations.

In 1997, His Majesty the late King’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), was adopted as the core principle of Thai national development with a view to foster Thai economic and social resilience in response to external volatility and unpredictable challenges.

The first meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and Prime Minister of Việt Nam Phạm Minh Chính on the occasion of his first official visit to Việt Nam on October 25-26, 2023. Photo Courtesy of the embassy

On the global stage, SEP, a homegrown approach to development focusing on the core principles of moderation, reasonableness, and self-immunity, has paved a solid foundation for Thailand to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and serves as a framework to promote sustainable development partnership with the international community, including Việt Nam. As such, in 2019 the SEP-driven project with Thái Nguyên Province was launched in the field of agroforestry, tourism, and tea production.

This year also marks the 47th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Việt Nam and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of “Strategic Partnership” of both countries. To this end, the elevation to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” status is being jointly prepared by both sides.

2023 also marks a new chapter for Thailand-Việt Nam relations. Under Thailand’s newly formed government, political ties between the two countries have been more progressive and enriched by exchanges of high-level visits and meetings.

Prime Minister of Thailand Srettha Thavisin had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Việt Nam Phạm Minh Chính on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this past September. The official visit to Việt Nam of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, which is the first official visit since assumption of office, on October 25-26, 2023 reflects Thailand’s continued commitment to further fostering cooperation with Việt Nam. The upcoming official visit to Thailand of Việt Nam's Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ on December 7-10, 2023 will pave the way for closer cooperation between the two parliaments. In 2024, both countries look forward to more exchanges of high-level visits, including the official visit to Thailand of Foreign Minister of Việt Nam Bùi Thanh Sơn, and the official visit to Việt Nam of Prime Minister of Thailand Srettha Thavisin as well as his cabinet to attend the 4th Joint Cabinet Retreat (JCR).

On the economic front, amid economic deceleration and political headwinds, Thailand and Việt Nam managed to enhance economic ties, with over US$21 billion of two-way trade volume in 2022 through the “Three Connects” strategy. The strategy was agreed upon by two leaders in 2022, encompassing Connecting our supply chains, Connecting our grassroots economies, and Connecting our sustainable growth strategies. The strategy has served as an enabler for both countries to materialise the bilateral trade target of $25 billion in 2025.

As the 9th largest foreign investor in Việt Nam, Thailand’s investment footprint has grown from strength to strength, ranging from farming, renewable energy, packaging, retail, distribution, petrochemicals, industrial estates, plastic products, to food processing. Due to the significant increase in Thailand’s investment in Việt Nam, Thailand aims to become one of Việt Nam’s top 5 foreign investors in the near future. With a view to contributing to regional prosperity and advancing integrated supply chain and production, Thailand and Việt Nam will scale up efforts to align and complement their strengths in Industry 4.0, digital economy, green growth and sustainable development. In order to pursue Thailand’s “proactive diplomacy”, Thailand will work closely with Việt Nam in promoting trade, investment, and tourism to bolster two-way investment.

On the people-to-people connectivity front, Thailand and Việt Nam have been working together to promote people-to-people exchanges. The resumption of Thai Airways flights between Bangkok and Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City from October 29, 2023 will contribute greatly to the promoting of tourism, and economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

Sharing a common vision in advancing regional peace, stability, and prosperity, Thailand reaffirms our commitments to strengthening cooperation in all aspects and join hands with Việt Nam to take even more proactive and constructive roles in multilateral fora. VNS