Vietnam and Thailand are well positioned to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership further, thanks to the solid foundation of political trust, shared strategic interests and close people-to-people ties built over the past five decades, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung has said.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s correspondents in Thailand on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic ties (August 6, 1976–2026), Ambassador Hung said the bilateral relationship has evolved from its early stages into one of ASEAN's most dynamic partnerships, underpinned by sustained political commitment and growing public support.
The diplomat highlighted the intensive pace of high-level exchanges this year, including Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's official visit to Thailand in late May, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's official visit to Vietnam in June, and President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand Sophon Zaram’s ongoing visit on the anniversary of diplomatic ties.
According to Hung, the mutual visits reflected the determination of leaders of both countries to translate the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into tangible outcomes and inject fresh momentum into bilateral cooperation.
He identified political trust, converging strategic interests and increasingly close people-to-people connections as the key pillars of bilateral relations. He noted that over the past five decades, the partnership has been strengthened through close coordination among governments, ministries, localities and businesses, while social links have continued to expand.
He cited the more than 100,000-strong Thai-Vietnamese community, the relic sites and museums dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Thailand, the Vietnam Town in Udon Thani, and the growing number of businesses, students and tourists travelling between the two countries all stand as vivid examples of the strong social foundation underpinning Vietnam–Thailand relations.
Looking ahead, the ambassador said the two countries still have ample room to expand cooperation beyond traditional areas by tapping into new growth drivers, including the digital economy, innovation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, green transition, renewable energy and supply chain connectivity.
He also underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation between localities, educational institutions and research centres, while expanding youth exchanges to reinforce long-term people-to-people bonds. Building on five decades of friendship and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Vietnam and Thailand have every opportunity to make their relationship one of ASEAN's model bilateral relationships, he said.
Reflecting on more than two years of service in Thailand, Hung said the country offers favourable conditions for implementing the foreign policy orientations adopted at the 14th National Party Congress, as well as Vietnam's broader international integration agenda.
He described bilateral ties as being at their strongest ever, supported by growing political trust, increasingly intertwined strategic interests and an expanded framework for cooperation across a wide range of sectors.
At the same time, he noted that rapid regional and global developments, strategic competition among major powers, global economic uncertainties, and the demands of digital and green transitions require Vietnamese representative missions abroad to continuously innovate their approaches. Beyond serving as bridges between countries, they must strengthen policy advice, improve forecasting, connect partners and boost the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements.
Hung said the embassy will focus on implementing agreements and common understandings reached by senior leaders, as well as the action programme for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2026–2031 period.
Priority will be given to promoting economic diplomacy, advancing the "Three Connects" Strategy, supporting cooperation between localities and businesses, and enhancing cultural diplomacy, external communications and overseas Vietnamese affairs, thereby helping deepen bilateral ties in a more substantive, effective and sustainable manner, and contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in ASEAN and the wider region./.
