General Secretary and President To Lam, accompanied by his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, departed Hanoi on Wednesday morning for an official visit to Thailand from May 27 to 29 at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his spouse.

The official delegation includes Nguyen Duy Ngoc, head of the Party Central Committee’s Organization Commission; Trinh Van Quyet, head of the Central Commission for Communication and Mass Mobilization; Nguyen Thanh Nghi, head of the Central Policy and Strategy Commission; General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense; General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung; Hanoi Party Secretary Tran Duc Thang; Nguyen Hai Ninh, chief of the Party Central Office; and National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hong.

Other members of the delegation include Le Khanh Hai, chairman of the Presidential Office; Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan; Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan; Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung; To An Xo, assistant to the General Secretary and President in charge of the General Secretary’s Office; and Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung.

The visit takes place as Vietnam and Thailand commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

It marks To Lam’s first visit to Thailand in his new capacity as General Secretary and President. The trip reflects the exceptionally high level of political trust between the two countries and demonstrates the shared determination of both leaderships to deepen bilateral relations in a more substantive and effective manner in the new phase.

The visit also offers an opportunity for senior leaders of both countries to review five decades of cooperation, strengthen political trust, and discuss major orientations to promote collaboration in defense, security, trade, investment, supply chain connectivity, digital transformation, green transition, and people-to-people exchanges.

Thailand is currently Vietnam’s largest trading partner within ASEAN, with bilateral trade exceeding USD22 billion in 2025.

Thailand also ranks among the top 10 foreign investors in Vietnam, with nearly 800 valid projects and total registered capital of around USD15.4 billion. Both countries are actively advancing the “Three Connections” strategy, which focuses on supply chain connectivity, business and local-level cooperation, and alignment of sustainable growth strategies.

Cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchange has also continued to yield positive results. Around 20 localities from both countries have established cooperative and twinning relationships.

The Vietnamese community of more than 100,000 people in Thailand continues to serve as an important bridge of friendship, contributing to stronger exchanges and closer ties between the peoples of the two nations.

Speaking to Vietnamese media, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow highly appreciated the fact that Thailand is the first ASEAN country to host an official visit by General Secretary To Lam since he assumed the presidency. He described the trip as one of the highlights of celebrations marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

According to Sihasak, the visit presents an opportunity to reaffirm political trust between the two governments and open a new chapter in Thailand-Vietnam relations.

Following the Thailand visit, General Secretary and President To Lam, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay a state visit to Singapore from May 29 to 31 and a state visit to the Philippines from May 31 to June 1.

Tran Thuong