BANGKOK: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will lead a high-level government and business delegation to Vietnam this week, aiming to turn strengthened Thai-Vietnamese relations into concrete economic cooperation, investment opportunities and closer private-sector links.
Anutin, who is also Interior Minister, is scheduled to make an official visit to Hanoi on Monday and Tuesday (June 8-9) and attend the 3rd Asean Future Forum, Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said.
The visit is expected to build on the upgraded momentum in bilateral relations following the recent visit to Thailand by To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam.
Economic diplomacy takes centre stage
Rachada said Anutin would hold talks with Vietnamese leaders and meet Thai companies operating in Vietnam, as both countries seek to expand cooperation beyond diplomatic goodwill into practical projects.
The delegation includes key economic ministers, senior government officials, military leaders and representatives from more than 10 leading Thai companies with investments in Vietnam.
Cabinet members joining the trip include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow; Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas; Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun; Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Paradorn Prissananantakul; Defence Minister Lt Gen Adul Boonthumjaroen; Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul; Energy Minister Akanat Promphan; and Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa.
The composition of the delegation underlines Thailand’s focus on trade, investment, energy, tourism, industry, logistics and private-sector cooperation.
Push for tangible projects
The trip follows Anutin’s instruction to ministries to identify areas that can be advanced immediately with Vietnam, including trade expansion, investment promotion, logistics connectivity, clean energy, food security and human-resource development.
The government has said cooperation should not end with documents or meetings, but be converted into work plans, projects and results that people and businesses in both countries can see.
Thailand and Vietnam have set a target of raising bilateral trade to US$25 billion, with Thai government data placing current trade at about US$24 billion.
The two countries have also agreed to pursue cooperation under the “Three Connects” strategy, covering supply-chain connectivity, local-economy connectivity and sustainable-development strategy connectivity.
Talks with Vietnamese leaders and Thai investors
During the two-day visit, Anutin is due to meet Vietnam’s senior political leadership, including the President, the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the National Assembly.
He will also meet Thai private-sector representatives investing in Vietnam, with the aim of identifying ways to support business expansion and unlock new opportunities in one of Asean’s most dynamic manufacturing and consumer markets.
On June 8, Anutin and his delegation are scheduled to depart from Military Air Terminal 2, Wing 6, at 8am and arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 10am.
He will then hold bilateral talks with senior Vietnamese leaders and meet Thai businesses operating in Vietnam.
In the afternoon, he will attend an official welcome ceremony and a full-delegation meeting at the Vietnamese Government Office, before joining a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Vietnam.
Asean Future Forum adds regional dimension
On June 9, Anutin will attend the opening ceremony of the 3rd Asean Future Forum at the Meliá Hanoi Hotel.
He is also scheduled to join the Thailand-Vietnam Investment and Business Forum, organised by the Board of Investment, before returning to Thailand later the same evening.
Vietnamese government media said Anutin is set to pay an official visit to Vietnam and attend the forum from June 8-9 at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
It also noted that the broader Asean Future Forum programme will take place in Hanoi from June 9-10 under the theme “Shaping Our Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centred”.
The forum is designed as a strategic platform for leaders, policymakers, businesses, academics and other stakeholders to discuss Asean’s future direction.
This year’s agenda focuses on peace, prosperity, people-centred development, resilience, artificial intelligence governance and energy security.
Rachada said this would be the first time a Thai prime minister has attended the Asean Future Forum in person, reflecting Thailand’s emphasis on the platform and on its close relationship with Vietnam.
To Lam’s Thailand visit paved way for Hanoi trip
Anutin’s visit follows To Lam’s official visit to Thailand on May 27-28, when the Vietnamese leader and his spouse, Madam Ngo Phuong Ly, visited as guests of the Royal Thai Government.
During that visit, Anutin and To Lam held a plenary meeting at Government House, where the two sides witnessed the exchange of four cooperation documents.
These included the Plan of Action on Implementing the Thailand-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2026-2031, a science, technology and innovation cooperation arrangement, an MOU on the development of an MRO centre at U-Tapao International Airport, and an MOU between Vietnam’s Academy of Public Administration and Governance and Khon Kaen University.
The two leaders also jointly opened the Thailand-Vietnam Business Forum 2026 in Bangkok under the theme “Growing Together: Celebrating 50 Years of Thailand-Viet Nam Relations”.
At the forum, Anutin said the two economies were complementary rather than purely competitive, with both countries seeking new growth engines in areas such as digital economy, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electric vehicles, green industries, future food, clean energy and wellness.
Thai officials described To Lam’s visit as a milestone in bilateral relations, as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.
Vietnam’s government has noted that the two countries upgraded relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2013 and to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on May 16, 2025. - The Nation/ANN
