Thailand’s National Day marked in HCM City

HCM City (VNA) – The Thai Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony on December 4 to mark the National Day of Thailand and celebrate the 91st birthday anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Addressing the ceremony, Ureerat Ratanaprukse, Thai Consul General in the city highlighted sound economic and political partnership between Vietnam and Thailand.

In 2019, Thailand taking in the role of the ASEAN Chair will continue reinforcing the sustainable and comprehensive partnership with Vietnam for the development of both countries and their deeper regional and international economic integration, she said.

The diplomat hailed the role of Ho Chi Minh City in boosting ties between the two countries, becoming a top destination of Thai tourists and a place hosting the majority of Thai firms in Vietnam.

The Thai Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City hopes to continue receiving support of the city to better perform its task of fostering ties between Thailand and the city as well as other southern localities of Vietnam, contributing to reinforcing the long-standing friendship between the two peoples.

Meanwhile, Huynh Cach Mang, Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee noted that with regular exchange of high-level delegations, the economic and trade partnership between Vietnam and Thailand has been expanded, along with closer cooperation in culture, tourism and education.

Facilitated by the sound relationship between the two countries, the partnership between Ho Chi Minh City and Thailand has grown strongly, especially in economy, trade and tourism, he said.

Various cultural, education and tourism exchange activities have been held, including the Friendship Ambassador Programme and the eastern cultural festival 2018, which has contributed to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations, he added.

Currently, Thailand is operating 195 projects worth 358 million USD in Ho Chi Minh City, ranking 12th out of 100 foreign investors in the city.

In the first 10 months of 2018, trade between the two sides reached nearly 2.6 billion USD, up 8.5 percent year on year. In the first eight months of this year, the city welcomed nearly 130,000 Thai tourists. -VNA