Hanoi, May 16, 2025 – The Europe Today: National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn affirmed on Thursday that Vietnam’s legislature remains committed to refining its legal framework to create favourable conditions for Thai businesses and investors, especially in strategic sectors such as the digital economy, green transition, and sustainable development.
Chairman Mẫn made the remarks during a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is in Hà Nội for her first official visit to Vietnam and to co-chair the 4th Vietnam–Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting.
Welcoming PM Paetongtarn and her high-level delegation, Chairman Mẫn highlighted the visit as a meaningful milestone in the ongoing advancement of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two nations. He congratulated Thailand on its recent achievements under the leadership of PM Paetongtarn, particularly the ambitious 2025 development agenda focusing on infrastructure and social welfare.
Emphasising the importance of economic collaboration, Chairman Mẫn noted that the two countries are striving to reach a bilateral trade target of US$25 billion by 2030. He commended Thailand’s position as Vietnam’s largest trading partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade reaching over $20.2 billion in 2024—an increase of 6.3 per cent from the previous year. In the first four months of 2025 alone, bilateral trade rose by 11.2 per cent year-on-year to nearly $6.88 billion.
Thailand is also Vietnam’s ninth-largest investor, with 767 projects and more than $14.85 billion in registered capital.
The NA Chairman proposed that the two sides harness their complementary strengths in digital transformation, renewable energy, regional supply chains, and smart agriculture. He called for deeper engagement with free trade agreements, particularly the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), to expand trade and investment.
Việt Nam, he said, stands ready to share experience and enhance cooperation with Thailand in high-tech agriculture, green transition, and sustainable development.
On legislative cooperation, Chairman Mẫn applauded the close relationship between the two national assemblies. He underlined the active role played by the Vietnam–Thailand Friendship Parliamentary Groups in fostering mutual understanding and cooperation in fields such as trade, tourism, investment, and education.
He further praised the coordination between the two legislatures at multilateral forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), noting that such cooperation contributes to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
Chairman Mẫn also called on Thailand to maintain ASEAN’s common stance on the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), and to work jointly to preserve it as a region of peace and cooperation.
He extended official invitations to Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and Senate President Mongkol Surasajja to visit Việt Nam in the near future.
For her part, Prime Minister Paetongtarn expressed sincere appreciation for the warm welcome and praised Việt Nam’s impressive socio-economic achievements. She highlighted the significance of the Việt Nam–Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting mechanism, which Thailand reserves only for its closest neighbours, underscoring the special place Vietnam holds in Thailand’s foreign policy.
The Thai Prime Minister stressed the need to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, and economic development, while also calling for increased exchanges between legislative bodies, expanded friendship parliamentary group activities, and stronger collaboration in multilateral parliamentary forums.
Both leaders agreed on the importance of boosting people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and infrastructure connectivity, including enhanced air and rail links.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn extended an invitation to Chairman Mẫn to visit Thailand, which he graciously accepted, promising to arrange the visit at a mutually convenient time.
