May 16, 2025
HANOI – National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn has said that Việt Nam’s legislature will continue refining its legal framework to create favourable conditions for businesses and investors from Thailand, particularly in strategic sectors such as the digital economy, green transition and sustainable development.
NA Chairman Mẫn made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on her official visit to Việt Nam.
He emphasised that these efforts are aimed at helping Việt Nam and Thailand reach their shared goal of US$25 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
He extended a warm welcome to PM Paetongtarn and the high-level delegation of the Royal Thai Government, who are also in Hà Nội to co-chair the 4th Việt Nam–Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting.
Chairman Mẫn congratulated Thailand on its recent achievements under Paetongtarn’s leadership, particularly the ambitious 2025 agenda centred on infrastructure development and social welfare initiatives.
He highly valued the significance of the visit, which takes place as the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and Thailand continues to grow robustly and comprehensively across all areas. He expressed his belief that the visit would serve as an important milestone, ushering in a new phase in Việt Nam–Thailand relations.
He also expressed appreciation for Thailand’s continued support for the Vietnamese community of over 100,000 people living in the country.
The top legislator noted that economic cooperation between the two countries remains full of potential. Thailand is currently Việt Nam’s largest trading partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade reaching more than $20.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 6.3 per cent over the previous year.
In the first four months of 2025, bilateral trade grew by 11.2 per cent year-on-year, reaching nearly $6.88 billion.
Thailand is also Việt Nam’s ninth-largest investor among 150 countries and territories, with 767 projects and over $14.85 billion in registered capital.
The NA Chairman proposed that both sides leverage their complementary strengths in areas like the digital economy, green energy, regional supply chains and smart agriculture. He encouraged greater utilisation of free trade agreements, particularly the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), to boost trade volumes.
Việt Nam, he said, is ready to share its experiences and strengthen cooperation with Thailand in areas of mutual strength, including high-tech agriculture, green transition and sustainable development.
On legislative cooperation, NA Chairman Mẫn praised the two parliaments for playing a crucial role in implementing economic agreements between the two governments. He also highlighted the positive contributions of the Việt Nam–Thailand Friendship Parliamentary Groups, which have helped enhance mutual understanding and foster collaboration across trade, investment, tourism and education.
He expressed appreciation for the close coordination between the two legislatures at regional and international parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).
According to Mẫn, this cooperation not only strengthens bilateral ties but also contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the ASEAN region.
The Chairman urged Thailand to continue working with Việt Nam and other countries to maintain ASEAN’s common stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), striving to make it a sea of peace and cooperation.
Chairman Mẫn also extended invitations to Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and Senate President Mongkol Surasajja to officially visit Việt Nam in the near future.
For her part, PM Paetongtarn expressed her sincere appreciation to NA Chairman Mẫn for taking the time to receive the Thai delegation. She also shared her pleasure at making her first official visit to Việt Nam and witnessing the country’s remarkable achievements in socio-economic development in recent years.
The Thai PM said her visit’s main purpose was to co-chair the 4th Việt Nam–Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting and to discuss with Vietnamese leaders ways to elevate bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, investment and trade.
She underscored the importance of the Joint Cabinet mechanism, a format Thailand reserves only for its closest neighbours, including Việt Nam.
Highlighting the many shared values and the strategic importance each country holds in the other’s foreign policy, PM Paetongtarn said enhanced cooperation is vital in light of today’s complex regional and global challenges. She called for greater exchange of delegations, expansion of friendship parliamentary group activities and more experience-sharing in legislative affairs and multilateral parliamentary cooperation.
Both leaders agreed on the need to intensify people-to-people exchanges, tourism cooperation, and greater connectivity via air and rail.
Thai PM Paetongtarn extended a formal invitation to NA Chairman Mẫn to visit Thailand. He expressed his appreciation and said he would arrange a visit at a suitable time. — VNS
link