BANGKOK, Thailand – Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, alongside General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Vietnamese President To Lam, presided over the opening session of the Thailand-Viet Nam Business Forum 2026 on May 28. Held at The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok under the theme “Growing Together: Celebrating 50 Years of Thailand–Viet Nam Relations,” the economic summit served as a strategic platform to attract private-sector investment and coordinate cross-border trade.
The Prime Minister emphasized that bilateral relations have matured into a critical strategic partnership, noting that trade values between the two major ASEAN economies have reached nearly 24 billion US dollars, approaching their shared 25 billion US dollar target. He stated that the economic structures of both nations are complementary rather than purely competitive, establishing a solid foundation for mutual, long-term economic growth.
Both countries are accelerating the development of new engines of growth by focusing on the digital economy, artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, green industries, clean energy, and the medical and wellness sector. The Prime Minister noted that merging these capabilities will transform Thailand and Vietnam from traditional regional manufacturing bases into dominant strategic partners to drive ASEAN’s futuristic economies.
The Prime Minister reasserted that private-sector engagement is the core driver of future bilateral success, highlighting Thailand’s political stability, regulatory improvements, and position as a regional logistics hub. In response, the Vietnamese President confirmed his administration’s full support for bilateral investment flows across all production sectors to turn their joint trade volume goals into concrete realities. (NNT)
