Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra reviewed the honour guards at the welcome ceremony in Hà Nội on May 16. — VNA/VNS Photos Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Friday morning hosted a welcome ceremony for Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and a high-ranking delegation of Thailand in Hà Nội.

PM Paetongtarn is paying an official visit to Việt Nam, where she will also co-chair the 4th Việt Nam -Thailand joint cabinet meeting.

PM Chính and his Thai counterpart visited an exhibition featuring the land and people of the two countries and their relations, jointly organised by the Government Office and the Vietnam News Agency, before holding talks.

This is the first visit to Việt Nam by PM Paetongtarn since she took office, and also the first by a Thai Government leader in 11 years. Additionally, it marks the first joint cabinet meeting between the two countries’ prime ministers in 10 years.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on August 6, 1976, the cooperation between the two countries has grown rapidly in both scope and depth. They have maintained a strong relationship and a high level of political trust between their leaders and people. This serves as a solid and important foundation for further deepening and strengthening the bilateral ties at all levels and across all channels.

The two countries elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in June 2013, becoming the first pair of ASEAN member states to establish such a partnership.

Subsequently, in 2015, the relationship was further upgraded to an “Enhanced Strategic Partnership” to promote stronger and more comprehensive cooperation. Since then, the Enhanced Strategic Partnership has made remarkable progress, achieving important, substantive, and effective outcomes.

​Hà Nội's students welcomed Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.​

One of the most outstanding pillars of bilateral cooperation in recent years has been economic, trade, and investment collaboration. Thailand is Việt Nam's largest trading partner in ASEAN and ranks 9th in the world. Bilateral trade reached US$20.2 billion last year, and $3.1 billion in the first two months of 2025, marking a 6.2 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Both sides aim to raise their two-way trade turnover to $25 billion in the coming time, in a balanced and sustainable manner.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phạm Việt Hưng said that the two PMs will co-chair the 4th Việt Nam - Thailand joint cabinet meeting, a joint effort reflecting the high level of attention and shared determination to advance the bilateral ties. Both sides will address existing issues and chart directions for all-around cooperation. — VNA/VNS

Earlier in the morning, Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Hồ Chí Minh at his Mausoleum in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

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