Transport Minister Dinh La Thang called for further preliminary studies of plans to open five cross-border bus routes between Vietnam and Thailand during a talk with his Thai counterpart, Prajin Juntons, in Hanoi on May 14.

He said that the two countries developed a plan for the bus routes two month ago and invited Laos to join in efforts to make the bus routes connect the three countries.

Possible routes include a route from Vietnam's central Ha Tinh province to Laos' Khammuon province, and on to Thailand's Nakhon Phanom province. Another route would go from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, and on to Bangkok.

The two ministers also agreed to promote coastal marine transport from the east of Thailand to the southern coast of Vietnam.

Minister Prajin Juntons said that they would organise a meeting in August between delegations from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia to discuss the coastal marine transport cooperation. He said he hoped Vietnam creates favourable conditions for vehicles from Thailand to enter Vietnam.

He also said that Thailand's Transport Ministry would consider offering support to aviation firms of both countries, particularly Thai-Vietjet Air, an airline that is 51 percent owned by Thai Kannithi Aviation and 49 percent by Vietjet Air.

Thang said that he appreciated the transport cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand as the two prepare for the ASEAN Community at the end of the year. For better connectivity with regional neighbours, he added, Vietnam considers transport infrastructure a major pillar for development.-VNA