Hanoi (VNA) - National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man on May 15 afternoon had a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra who is on an official visit to Vietnam, where she will also co-chair the 4th Vietnam - Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting.
Chairman Man highly appreciated the important significance of the visit, which takes place at a time when the Vietnam - Thailand Enhanced Strategic Partnership is developing strongly and extensively in all fields, believing that the trip will be an important milestone, opening a new phase for Vietnam - Thailand relations.
The top legislator congratulated the outstanding achievements that Thailand has achieved under the leadership of PM Paetongtarn, especially the 2025 agenda with infrastructure and social welfare projects. He thanked the Thai Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Thailand, with more than 100,000 people actively participating in economic and social life and becoming an important bridge for friendship between the two nations.
Chairman Man affirmed that Vietnam highly appreciates the role of Thailand in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and in the international arena as well as the contributions of the Thai Government in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region. He suggested Thailand continue to coordinate with Vietnam and other countries to maintain ASEAN's common viewpoint on the East Sea, striving to build the East Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation.
Expressing his satisfaction with the results of economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, the NA Chairman said that the prospects for economic cooperation between the two countries are still very huge and there is much untapped potential. Thailand is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade turnover in 2024 reaching more than 20.2 billion USD, up 6.3% compared to 2023. In the first four months of 2025, two-way trade value reached nearly 6.88 billion USD, up 11.2% over the same period in 2024. At the same time, Thailand is the 9th largest investor out of 150 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 767 projects and a total registered capital exceeding 14.85 billion USD.
He suggested that the two sides could take advantage of complementary advantages in areas such as digital economy, green energy, regional supply chains and smart agriculture, and take advantage of free trade agreements, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), to achieve the target of 25 billion USD in trade turnover by 2030.
Vietnam is always ready to share experience and cooperate closely with Thailand in areas where both sides have strengths, such as high-tech agriculture, green transition and sustainable development, he said.
The meeting between National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Hanoi on May 15 (Photo: VNA)
Regarding cooperation between the legislative bodies, the top lawmaker highly appreciated the relationship between the Vietnamese and Thai NAs that has been continuously promoted and developed well. Through high-level delegation exchanges, sharing legislative and supervisory experiences, the two legislative bodies have made important contributions to the realisation of economic cooperation agreements between the two governments. In addition, the Vietnam - Thailand friendship parliamentary groups have been an effective bridge, enhancing mutual understanding and promoting economic, trade, investment, tourism and educational cooperation.
Appreciating the close coordination between the Vietnamese and Thai NAs in regional and international parliamentary forums, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Chairman Man said that this cooperation not only helps strengthen bilateral relations but also contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the ASEAN region.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese NA will continue to improve the legal framework, create favourable conditions for businesses and investors of the two countries, and support cooperation initiatives in strategic areas such as digital economy, green transition and sustainable development.
On this occasion, Chairman Man sent his best wishes and invitation to Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and President of the Thai Senate Mongkol Surasajja to soon pay an official visit to Vietnam in the near future.
PM Paetongtarn expressed pleasure in paying her first official visit to Vietnam and witnessing Vietnam's great socio-economic development achievements in recent times.
She informed that the purpose of her visit to Vietnam is to co-chair the 4th Vietnam – Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting, and discuss with Vietnamese leaders measures to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, especially in economy, investment and trade to bring the bilateral relationship to a new height. She emphasised the importance of the Joint Cabinet Meeting mechanism between the two countries, a mechanism that Thailand only has with neighbouring countries, including Vietnam.
The PM stressed that the two countries have many similarities, and both have important positions and roles in each other's foreign policies. She suggested that strengthening close cooperation between the two countries is very significant in the context of the current challenging regional and global situation.
PM Paetongtarn proposed the two sides promote delegation exchanges and mutual visits, expand cooperation between the Friendship Parliamentary Groups of the two countries, especially sharing experiences in law-making and coordinating at multilateral parliamentary forums.
The two leaders said that the people of the two countries have a close relationship, sharing many cultural similarities. They suggested that the two countries should promote people-to-people exchanges, tourism cooperation, and strengthen aviation and railway connections in the coming time.
On this occasion, PM Paetongtarn respectfully invited Chairman Man to visit Thailand soon. The Vietnamese leader thanked for the invitation and promised to arrange a visit at a suitable time./.
