Vietnam-Thailand, Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Associations seek to solidify cooperation

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At the conference. Photo: Tuan Viet/VUFO

VTFA President Ta Quang Ngoc said the event marks the 10th anniversary of the conference, which was first held in Thailand’s Khon Ken city in March 2010.

According to Ngoc, the organizer chose Dalat as the venue for this conference in order to introduce to Thai friends a famous tourist destination of Vietnam. With a mild climate, beautiful and poetic natural landscapes, rich architectural heritage, Da Lat was dubbed the City of Mist, City of Flowers, City of Love, attracting millions of domestic and foreign tourists come to visit and relax each year.

The VTFA President emphasized that tourism is the strength of both Vietnam and Thailand, this is also a field of cooperation with great potential and prospects between the two countries. Tourism has also been a key work of both associations for many years. He hope that Dalat will become a regular destination for many Thai tourists in the future.

President Ta Quang Ngoc affirmed that 10 years is not a long time compared to the hundred-year history of the traditional relationship between Vietnam and Thailand, but the past 10 years is the most remarkable period, the brightest and most vigorous period of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, especially since the two sides upgraded their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership in June 2013.

Ngoc believes that the existing friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand will be maintained and developed strongly for the benefit of the people of the two countries, for peace, stability and prosperity of the region.

The VTFA President said that the main purpose of this joint conference is to unify as well as propose specific, practical orientations and activities in order to bring the associations’ work to a higher level, towards the greater achievements in the coming years.

Prapansak Bhatayanond, TVFA Vice President, showed his delight at close relations between the two associations, contributing to the enhancement of the relationship between the two countries.

He added that the joint conference is a chance for both sides to seek cooperation measures for the following years.

The Vietnam-Thailand partnership has grown strongly over the past decade. Thailand has become the biggest trade partner of Vietnam among ASEAN countries with two-way trade being on the rise in recent years. The two sides are striving to raise bilateral trade to 20 billion USD in 2020.

In 2018, more than 300,000 Thai tourists visited Vietnam and over 1 million Vietnamese travelled to Thailand. So far, 16 provinces and cities of Vietnam have set up twin relations with Thai localities.

Prapansak Bhatayanond, TVFA Vice President. Photo: Tuan Viet/VUFO

Participants at the conference agreed on the future orientations by optimising the role and positions of the two associations in fostering people-to-people exchange between the two nations, thereby enhancing the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Thailand.

Both sides will work together in organising activities to mark the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2021. Meanwhile, they will continue working to promote the cooperation between the two countries in trade, investment, tourism, culture, education, and inter-locality cooperation.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong People’s Committee Phan Van Da highlighted that a direct air route connecting Da Lat and Bangkok was launched in December 2017 with 5-7 flights per week.

According to him, Lam Dong has actively sought partnerships with Thai partners by holding the organisation of an investment, trade and tourism promotion conference in Bangkok in October 2018, which drew more than 300 delegates from Thai agencies, businesses and investors.

Last year, Lam Dong welcomed about 40,000 Thai visitors. As of mid-November, the province served more than 36,000 Thai tourists, up 4.5 percent year on year, he added.

Vice Chairman of Lam Dong People's Committee hopes that in the coming time, through the support of ministries, branches, Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), VTFA and TVFA, Lam Dong province will continue to have opportunities to expand cooperation with Thai partners.

According to VUFO President Nguyen Phuong Nga, the 10th annual meeting of the executive board of the two Friendship Associations was held at the time when the cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand was developing strongly.

Nga hopes that, besides the friendship exchange and activities, the two Associations would have more practical cooperation activities, mobilizing the participation of the business community and the younger generation of the two countries, in areas such as economics, trade and investment, tourism, education, science and technology, culture and sports, in order to fully exploit their potentials and cooperation between the two countries, contributing to the sustainable development of each country and creating more cohesion between the peoples of the two countries.

President Nguyen Phuong Nga affirmed that, as a core organization in people-to-people diplomacy, VUFO would do its best, contributing to strengthening solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the people of Vietnam and the people of the world in general and Thai people in particular, contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and in the world.

VUFO President Nguyen Phuong Nga presented a Friendship Order of the Vietnamese State to TVFA Vice President Prapansak Bhatayanond and a “For peace and friendship between nations” insignia of the VUFO to four members of the association. Photo: Tuan Viet/VUFO

On the occasion, VUFO President Nguyen Phuong Nga presented a Friendship Order to TVFA Vice President Prapansak Bhatayanond and a “For peace and friendship between nations” insignia of the VUFO to four members of the association.