Thailand poised to resume tours with Vietnam

Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Nikorndej Balankura brought up the proposal during a meeting on November 11 held with Nguyen Van Nen, secretary of the municipal Party Committee.

During the reception, Nen applauded the long-standing friendship between the two sides and thanked the General Consulate of Thailand and the Thai community in Ho Chi Minh City for their support in the local COVID-19 fight.

The Thai Ambassador responded by pledging his best efforts to reinforce the countries’ relations and ties between numerous Thai localities and the southern city.

He also praised Ho Chi Minh City’s role as an economic-trade hub which is home to 80% of Thai companies, expressing his gratitude to the local authorities for supporting the Thai community, especially during the recent wave of COVID-19 outbreaks.

In preparation for co-operation in the post-pandemic period, Thailand will focus on ramping up the trade and investment relations with the nation, he added.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is therefore set to devise a specific plan relating to co-operation with the Vietnamese side moving forward.

During the meeting, both sides consented to launch a range of activities in December aimed at celebrating the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties which will occur this year.

Thailand now represents the country’s largest trade partner in ASEAN and the ninth leading foreign investor out of 140 countries and territories investing in the Vietnamese market.

Both sides have closely collaborated and provided mutual support at regional and international forums.

Thailand makes up the 12th largest investor in Ho Chi Minh City with a total registered capital of more than US$467 million across 231 projects.

Moreover, the southern city welcomes over 180,000 Thai holidaymakers each year, making Thailand ninth in terms of the number of tourists making the trip to the Vietnamese metropolis.