Thailand fired 21 rounds of cannon to welcome General Secretary and President To Lam at the airport

Welcoming General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife at Don Mueang airport on the afternoon of May 27 was Thai Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt and a number of government officials, according to VNA.

At the airport, the infantry squad stood on both sides of the red carpet, and at the same time 21 rounds of cannons rang out in welcome. This is a special ritual, showing Thailand’s respect for the official visit of General Secretary, President To Lam and his wife.

It is expected that during the visit, which will last until May 29, the General Secretary and President will hold talks and meet with the King and Queen of Thailand, the Prime Minister and the country’s senior leaders to discuss extensively on major orientations to effectively implement the new cooperation framework.

The General Secretary and President will also attend the Vietnam – Thailand Business Forum, witnessing the signing ceremony of exchanging a number of cooperation documents between the two countries.

This is the first visit to an ASEAN country by the General Secretary and President in his new position, taking place in the context that the two countries’ relationship has just been upgraded to a comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2025.

Before arriving in Bangkok, the General Secretary and President stopped at Udon Thani, meeting with officials and staff of the Embassy, ​​Consulate General of Vietnam and nearly 600 overseas Vietnamese living, studying, and working in Thailand along with overseas Vietnamese representatives from Laos.

The Vietnamese community in Thailand has about 100,000 people. Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung said that the vast majority of people have stable lives, many are successful and prestigious, affirming their positions in many fields such as education, health care, and business, and are respected and highly appreciated by the Thai government and people.

The presence of many cultural works, Vietnamese pagodas, President Ho Chi Minh relics, and Vietnam Streets in many localities is vivid evidence of patriotism, national pride, always looking towards the roots of the Vietnamese community in Thailand and the good relationship, solidarity, and cooperation between the two countries.

The General Secretary and President affirmed that the Vietnamese community in Thailand is always an important bridge, contributing to tightening the friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. He acknowledged that people have stabilized their lives, integrated well, contributed positively to the local society, while always preserving their cultural identity, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese ways, and looking towards their homeland.

The General Secretary and President affirmed that the Party and State always consider the Vietnamese community abroad, including the Vietnamese community in Thailand, to be an integral part of the great national unity bloc, a valuable resource of the country and an important bridge to cultivate friendly relations.

Thailand is currently Vietnam’s largest trading partner in ASEAN. In 2025, the total two-way trade turnover will reach 22.1 billion USD, an increase of 9% compared to 2024. In the first 4 months of 2026, the two-way turnover will reach nearly 8.6 billion USD, an increase of 24% compared to the same period in 2025.

Regarding investment, Thailand currently has 797 valid investment projects with a total registered capital of 15.4 billion USD, ranking 8th out of 153 countries investing in Vietnam and ranking second among ASEAN countries. Vietnam has more than 20 valid investment projects, with a total registered capital of about 40 million USD.

“The visit demonstrates Vietnam’s high regard for relations with Thailand as well as for the Southeast Asia region. This is also an opportunity for senior leaders of the two countries to exchange extensively on major directions to effectively implement the new cooperation framework, thereby creating more momentum for bilateral relations in the coming time,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong.

The visit is expected to open new developments in trade, investment, logistics and supply chain connection. The two sides have much potential for cooperation in new areas such as digital transformation, green economy, circular economy, renewable energy, innovation and industrial transformation.