Paetongtarn to visit Vietnam on May 15-16 to bolster ASEAN ties
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will travel to Vietnam from Thursday to Friday (May 15–16) to strengthen cooperation and foster goodwill among ASEAN countries.
Government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said on Wednesday that this will be Paetongtarn’s first official visit to Vietnam, at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
On May 15, the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Hanoi at 11.30am local time (which is the same as Thailand). In the afternoon, she and her delegation will meet with the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (ThaiCham) as well as Vietnamese private sector representatives, including Sovico (co-founder of Vietjet Air) and FPT.
In the evening, Paetongtarn will pay courtesy calls on senior Vietnamese leaders, followed by an official welcome ceremony hosted by the Vietnamese government in honour of the Thai delegation.
On May 16, the Prime Minister will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Memorial to the Revolutionary Martyrs.
She will then participate in the official welcome ceremony and hold high-level talks with her Vietnamese counterpart, including the fourth Thailand–Vietnam Joint Cabinet Retreat (JCR) — a unique high-level forum that Vietnam holds exclusively with Thailand.
In the afternoon, the Thai Prime Minister will deliver the opening address at the Thailand–Vietnam Business Forum alongside Vietnamese leaders. She will also pay further courtesy calls on senior members of the Vietnamese government before departing for Thailand later the same day.
“The Prime Minister’s visit and the fourth JCR mark a concrete step in elevating Thai–Vietnamese relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership,” Jirayu stated.
“The visit will help to deepen cooperation in politics, security and the economy at a high level, while also opening up new opportunities for grassroots economic development, joint investment by the private sector, and technological advancement for the shared benefit of both countries in the long term.”
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, Prime Minister’s Secretary-General Prommin Lertsuridej, and Thai Trade Representative Chai Wacharonke.
The JCR was first held in 2004 under the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, with the most recent meeting taking place in 2012 during the premiership of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. This upcoming meeting will mark the fourth JCR in the past two decades.
