Vietnamese artisans presented the traditional handmade clothes to Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra on May 15. — VNA/VNS Photos Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính hosted a banquet for his visiting Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday, and a experience tour of the unique handicraft products of Việt Nam.

Organised at the Government Headquarters, there is a also photo exhibition introduces Việt Nam, Thailand, their people and relationship through nearly 20 black and white, and colour photos. In particular, the photos record the development process of the bilateral relationship from the official establishment of diplomatic relations on August 6, 1976, to the "Enhanced Strategic Partnership" in 2015 to present, with many important achievements in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economy - trade - investment, culture, education - training, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính welcomed Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra to the banquet at the Government headquarters.

​After 49 years of construction and development, the two sides have created an important and solid foundation and premise to bring the Việt Nam - Thailand relationship to a new height.

The two leaders watched artisans perform and displayed products, and listened to introduction about Việt Nam's unique handicrafts such as clay figurines, conical hats, bamboo and rattan weaving, ceramics, fine art wood, embroidery, silverware, folk paintings, and lacquerware.

Handicraft products are made from familiar materials, closely associated with the daily life of Vietnamese people. They are cultural heritage, crystallised from the ingenuity, passion and soul of artisans, expressing the beauty and pride of the Vietnamese nation.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Handicrafts in Việt Nam have a long history associated with craft villages and streets across the country. Currently, Việt Nam has about 2,500 handicraft villages with famous places such as Bát Tràng and Phú Lãng pottery; Vạn Phúc silk; Bằng Sở bamboo weaving; Đồng Xâm silver carving; Làng Chuông conical hats; Định Công silverware; and Đông Hồ and Hàng Trống folk paintings.

In addition to serving domestic and international tourists to Việt Nam, handicrafts are always in the top 10 export items with the largest turnover, and they have been present in 163 countries and territories worldwide.

This is the first visit to Việt Nam by PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra since she took office and the first trip by a Thai prime minister in 11 years.

During the trip, the two PMs will co-chair the 4th Việt Nam – Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting – the first of its kind in 10 years. This event is expected to contribute to strengthening political trust and offer an opportunity for both sides to review the process of promoting cooperation in all fields in the recent past in order to deepen and substantiate the relationship in the upcoming era of cooperation and development. — VNA/VNS

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra enjoyed the traditional Vietnamese tea.

The two Prime Ministers viewed the photos on the two countries' relations, organised by Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra experienced the making of the Đông Hồ paintings.