Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul have described bilateral relations as being at their strongest point since diplomatic ties were established, underscoring growing political trust, expanding economic cooperation and increasingly close people-to-people exchanges.

On the afternoon of June 8, following an official welcome ceremony in Hanoi, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held talks with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul during the Thai leader’s first official visit to Vietnam.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung welcomed his Thai counterpart and expressed pleasure at meeting him again following the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reaffirmed that Thailand attaches great importance to its relationship with Vietnam and wishes to further promote comprehensive and substantive cooperation across all sectors. He expressed hope that both sides would effectively implement the outcomes of General Secretary and State President To Lam’s recent visit to Thailand, including the action program for implementing the Vietnam-Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2026-2031 period.

The two prime ministers expressed satisfaction with the robust development of bilateral ties over the past five decades, noting that relations are now at their best stage ever, built on a strong foundation of political trust, dynamic economic cooperation and increasingly close connections between their peoples.

The two sides agreed to strengthen political trust as well as defense and security cooperation. They committed to maintaining joint maritime patrols, enhancing cooperation against transnational crimes - particularly drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime - and reaffirmed their commitment not to allow any individual or organization to use one country’s territory to act against the other.

In the economic sphere, the leaders agreed to effectively implement the “Three Connections” strategy and enhance cooperation in transportation, logistics, aviation and tourism. They also pledged to explore the development of road and coastal shipping routes connecting the two countries and the broader Mekong sub-region.

Vietnam and Thailand agreed to reduce trade barriers, facilitate market access for each other’s products and work toward achieving a bilateral trade target of USD 25 billion in the near term, with a long-term goal of USD 50 billion based on balanced and sustainable growth.

The two countries will also expand cooperation in agriculture, food security and emerging sectors including science and technology, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, the digital economy, the green economy, innovation and the just energy transition.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung reaffirmed that Vietnam welcomes and supports foreign investment, including from Thailand, and remains committed to creating favorable conditions for Thai businesses operating in the country.

Prime Minister Anutin praised Vietnam’s investment and business environment, thanking the Vietnamese government for its support of Thai enterprises and expressing hope that remaining obstacles could continue to be addressed. He said Thailand would encourage its companies to expand investments in sectors aligned with Vietnam’s development priorities, while also welcoming increased investment from Vietnamese businesses in Thailand.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen people-to-people exchanges, cultural cooperation, tourism links and partnerships between localities.

Prime Minister Anutin also highlighted the significance of cooperation between the two countries in the conservation of the Sarus crane at Tram Chim National Park. Thailand, he said, stands ready to transfer Sarus cranes to Vietnam to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable development efforts.

On regional and international issues, the two prime ministers agreed to continue close coordination within ASEAN and other multilateral mechanisms. They emphasized the importance of maintaining ASEAN unity, solidarity and centrality, while promoting the bloc’s common position on the East Sea based on international law.

The two leaders reaffirmed their determination to effectively implement all agreements reached, further deepening the Vietnam-Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a substantive and effective manner.

Vietnam prioritizes friendship and cooperation with Thailand

Also on June 8, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held talks with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man highly valued the significance of the Thai prime minister’s visit, describing it as a continuation of the momentum created by General Secretary and State President To Lam’s recent visit to Thailand and an important boost to bilateral relations.

He reaffirmed that Vietnam consistently prioritizes the development of friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Thailand.

Prime Minister Anutin noted that the two countries share a long-standing and close relationship. He recalled that President Ho Chi Minh once lived and carried out revolutionary activities in Thailand, while generations of Vietnamese people have successfully settled and worked in Thailand’s northeastern provinces, serving as an important bridge of friendship between the two nations.

Thailand, he said, highly values its comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam and hopes the Vietnamese National Assembly will continue supporting efforts to make bilateral cooperation more practical and effective.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the positive development of parliamentary relations and agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two legislatures.

They pledged to expand exchanges among friendship parliamentarian groups, women lawmakers, young parliamentarians and specialized agencies of both legislatures, while enhancing cooperation in legislative work and parliamentary oversight.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man also expressed hope that the Thai government would continue creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Thailand to actively participate in economic and social life and further strengthen friendship between the two peoples.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, his spouse and the accompanying high-level Thai delegation laid a wreath and paid tribute at the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh. The delegation also laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs on Bac Son Street in Hanoi.