40th anniversary of Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic ties marked

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Thai Embassy in Vietnam on August 9 held a meeting to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic relations.

Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Manopchai Vongphakdi expressed his delights at the growing relations between the two countries over the past four decades.

The two sides elevated their ties to a strategic partnership covering all fields ranging from politics and security to economy, trade, investment, culture, education and people-to-people exchange, he said.

Meanwhile, Ta Quang Ngoc, Chairman of Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Association, said that along with promoting bilateral relations in multi-faceted spheres, the two countries have paid due attention to people-to-people exchanges.

Playing a core role in enhancing Vietnam-Thailand ties, the Vietnam-Thailand and Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Associations have seen flourishing collaboration in the past years, he noted.

On this occasion, the associations will organise an exchange between the two countries’ people in Thailand in November to lift bilateral relations to a new height.

Present at the event, former Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bhichai Rattakul, who represented the Thai Government to ink the joint statement to set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1976, said he believes that the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries will further develop in the future, meeting expectations and practical benefits of their people.

Vietnam and Thailand officially established diplomatic relations on August 6, 1976. Thailand was the fifth largest trade partner and also the 10th largest investor of Vietnam with 392 projects worth 7 billion USD last year.-VNA