King Vajiralongkorn personally piloted the royal aircraft as it landed at the airport, while Queen Suthida sat beside him, serving as co-pilot.
The King and Queen are making a state visit to Vietnam from Sept. 14-16 at the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife.
The Thai delegation includes Prime Minister and minister-in-attendance Anutin Charnvirakul; Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Urawadee Sriphiromya; Air Chief Marshal Satitpong Sukvimol, Lord Chamberlain and Principal Private Secretary to the King; Lieutenant Colonel Somchai Kanjanamanee, Deputy Lord Chamberlain; Admiral Weerasak Oggungwan, aide-de-camp to the King; and Air Chief Marshal Chettha Muernkaew, aide-de-camp to the King.
Welcoming the Thai King, Queen and delegation at the airport were Le Khanh Hai, head of Vietnam’s Presidential Office; Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman Vu Dai Thang; Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang; and Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung.
The visit marks a major milestone in relations between Vietnam and Thailand, carrying particular historical and political significance as it is the first visit to Vietnam by a Thai monarch since the two countries established diplomatic relations.
It is also the third high-level visit by a Thai leader to Vietnam in just over three months, following official visits by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in June and National Assembly President Sophon Zaram in August.
The visit comes as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, a major milestone in the development of bilateral ties.
The frequency and level of these high-level exchanges reflect the importance both sides attach to their relationship, growing political trust and the determination of their leaders to further strengthen the Vietnam-Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn previously visited Vietnam in 1992 and 1997 while he was Crown Prince.
More than three decades later, his return as head of the Thai monarchy, accompanied by Queen Suthida, continues ties cultivated between the two countries over generations.
Vietnam and Thailand formally established diplomatic relations in 1976, although longstanding connections between the two countries stretch much further back, shaped in part by their geographic and cultural proximity.
Over the past 50 years, Vietnam-Thailand relations have made significant and steady progress across a broad range of areas.
Since the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2025, the two countries have continued to deepen cooperation and strengthen political trust.
Thailand is Vietnam’s largest trading partner within ASEAN and ranks eighth among countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
Two-way trade reached $22.1 billion in 2025. In the first seven months of 2026, bilateral trade exceeded $15.03 billion, up 22% from the same period a year earlier.
Cooperation in culture, tourism, education and training has also continued to expand.
Nearly 458,000 Thai visitors traveled to Vietnam in 2025. The Thai government currently supports Thai-language teaching at Vietnamese universities and provides a range of long- and short-term scholarships for Vietnamese students and lecturers to study the language in Thailand.
Twenty Vietnamese provinces and cities have established cooperation or sister-city agreements with localities in Thailand.
Thailand is also home to a Vietnamese community of around 100,000 people, concentrated mainly in the country’s northeastern provinces. Members of the community have maintained close connections with their homeland while serving as people-to-people bridges between Vietnam and Thailand.
King Vajiralongkorn was previously a pilot in the Royal Thai Armed Forces and has flown both military and civilian aircraft.
Queen Suthida worked as a flight attendant before joining the military in 2008.
Both the King and Queen are certified pilots qualified to fly multiple types of aircraft. They have previously piloted royal aircraft during overseas visits.
Tran Thuong
Vietnamnet.vn
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