On 15–16 May 2025, H.E. Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, paid an Official Visit to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Viet Nam.

The visit marked Prime Minister Paetongtarn’s first official visit to Viet Nam, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Thailand–Viet Nam Joint Cabinet Retreat (JCR) mechanism.

The highlight of the visit was the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signifying a shared determination by both countries to deepen and broaden cooperation across all dimensions. This historic announcement reflects the state of close relations based on mutual trust and common interest while underscoring their readiness to enhance collaboration to jointly navigate global and regional challenges.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn also paid courtesy calls on H.E. Mr. To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam; H.E. Mr. Luong Cuong, President of Viet Nam; and H.E. Mr. Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the National Assembly of Viet Nam. These high-level exchanges reaffirmed the shared commitment to further enhance political trust and people-centered cooperation.

During the 4th JCR, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the following key areas:

Political and Security Cooperation

The two sides agreed to increase the exchange of high-level visits, especially in 2026 which marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Viet Nam.

Both countries will finalize a Strategic Plan of Action for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by the end of 2025. Both sides agreed to enhance consultations between the Defense Ministers and Chiefs of Armed Forces of the two countries, as well as increase cooperation among law enforcement agencies to combat narcotic drugs, online scams, human trafficking, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Economic Cooperation

Recognizing their economic complementarities, both countries will finalize a Strategic Action Plan under the Three Connects Strategy, focusing on linking (1) supply chains, (2) local economies and (3) sustainable development strategies. Immediate priorities include connecting supply chains and developing the workforce in high-potential industries such as semiconductors and AI.

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the goal of achieving USD 25 billion in two-way trade soon. The Commerce Ministers will convene the Joint Trade Committee within this year to discuss further trade facilitation, including on agricultural and livestock products.

Thailand expressed appreciation for the Vietnamese Government’s support for Thai businesses in Viet Nam and reiterated its readiness to welcome more investment from Vietnamese enterprises.

The two sides will enhance cooperation on the digital economy and transformation, expand cross-border payment systems, facilitating more efficient and cost-effective financial transactions between Thailand and Viet Nam.

To promote regional trade and tourism, the two leaders welcomed the plan to launch a direct flight route between Viet Nam and Northeastern Thailand, marking the first international air linkage to Thailand’s Northeast. They also agreed to promote seamless land transport through Thailand, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam, and to enhance land and coastal sea transport between Thailand, Cambodia, and Viet Nam.

People-to-People and Tourism Cooperation

Tourism between the two countries is a significant contributor to people-to-people relations, with over 1.5 million combined visitors exchanged in 2024. The two leaders agreed to open up new tourism opportunities between Thailand’s Northeast and Viet Nam’s Central and Southern regions. They also discussed collaboration on new tourism products, including regional cruise routes connecting Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Over 20 sister-city partnerships between Thai and Vietnamese provinces will be fully utilised to strengthen grassroots collaboration and local economic partnership.

The two sides also emphasized the importance of human resource development, particularly in STEM education and vocational training, through enhanced cooperation between the academic institutions and private sector actors in both countries to prepare the workforce for future industries.

The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on key regional and global issues, including developments in Myanmar and the South China Sea. They reaffirmed the importance of upholding ASEAN solidarity and centrality, and working together to strengthen regional stability, connectivity, and resilience. On this occasion, Prime Minister Paetongtarn extended an invitation to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to attend the Mekong–Lancang Leaders’ Meeting, to be hosted by Thailand later this year.

The two Prime Ministers jointly presided over the Thailand–Viet Nam Business Forum, which brought together leading companies from both countries to foster deeper business ties and boost two-way investment. Several business deals were announced during the forum.

During the visit, the two leaders endorsed and witnessed the exchange of the following 12 documents between the public and private sectors of both countries:

(1) Joint Statement on the Elevation of Thailand-Viet Nam Relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership;

(2) Memorandum of Understanding on Economic and Trade Cooperation between the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam;

(3) Handover of Financial Support under the Letter of Agreement on the Cooperation on Law Enforcement and Narcotics Control Between the Office of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand and the Counter Narcotics Police Department of Viet Nam;

(4) Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Program between the Department of Domestic Market Management and the Department of Foreign Market Development - Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and Central Group for the Period of 2026 – 2028;

(5) Memorandum of Understanding between Hung Yen Provincial People’s Committee and WHA Industrial Development PLC on Development of Phu Cu Industrial Zones Project;

(6) Granting of an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) for WHA Smart Technology Industrial Zone 2 in Thanh Hoa;

(7) Memorandum of Understanding between the People’s Committee of Phu Tho Province and Amata Corporation on Strategy Collaboration;

(8) Memorandum on Mutual Business Cooperation between EXIM Bank and Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam on Green Business Loans and Modern Technology;

(9) Letter of Intent on Cooperation on Human Resource Development in Semiconductor Technology between Khon Kaen University and FPT University;

(10) Memorandum of Understanding between Vietjet and Thai Vietjet regarding the transfer of operational rights and technical service support for 50 Boeing Max aircraft;

(11) Memorandum of Understanding between King Mongkut’s University of Technology and FPT University on cooperation in training human resources in AI, automotive automation, and robotics;

(12) Memorandum of Understanding between FPT Group and Sunline Technology Co. Ltd. on strategic partnership in digital banking;

This successful visit has further reinforced the friendship, and shared vision for a peaceful, prosperous, and people-centered future between Thailand and Viet Nam.