Thailand always attaches importance to promoting tourism and sports cooperation with Vietnam, affirmed Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn during a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh.
At the meeting with Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, with the participation of Minister's advisor - Ms. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, President of the National Sports University of Thailand - Mr. Wisanu Laichapit, along with representatives of the Sports Association of Thailand and representatives of the Department of International Relations under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh expressed his joy at the good development of the Vietnam-Thailand Enhanced Strategic Partnership over the past 10 years.
Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh (left) and Thai Minister of Sports and Tourism Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. (Photo: VNA)
Thailand continues to be Vietnam's largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 9th largest investor in Vietnam with two-way turnover in 2022 reaching 20.51 billion USD.
In the field of tourism and sports, the two countries maintain close connections through bilateral cooperation and multilateral mechanisms in activities such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers' Meeting (2019), and the APEC Tourism Ministers' Meeting (2022).
Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh asked Minister Phiphat to share Thailand's experience in recovering the tourism industry after the pandemic; asked Thailand to promote cooperation in forming cultural tourism routes between the two countries to enhance the promotion of cultural tourism destinations on the main and secondary routes of each destination; asked Thailand to promote investment in tourism services and infrastructure in Vietnam as well as build a Joint Action Program on tourism cooperation between the two countries.
For his part, the Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports congratulated Vietnam for implementing an effective reopening roadmap and quickly recovering the economy, especially since Vietnam recently reopened international flights to more than 20 countries, including Thailand.
Minister Phiphat agreed with the Ambassador's suggestions and affirmed that Thailand always attaches importance to promoting tourism and sports cooperation between the two countries.
Thailand is implementing many tourism projects such as campaigning for the Phuket Expo 2028 and campaigning to co-host the 2034 FIFA World Cup in ASEAN countries.
Minister Phiphat affirmed that he will always support and facilitate training and exchange of sports experts to develop knowledge and skills for athletes of the two countries and will always support Vietnam in all tourism cooperation forums in the region in particular and internationally in general.
He also asked Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh to continue working with relevant Thai agencies to contribute to promoting tourism and sports cooperation activities between the two countries.
