During a meeting with chairman of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association Prachuab Chaiyasan, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai highly valued the Association’s contributions to promoting the intimate relationship between the two countries. The Deputy PM made the appreciation at a reception held in Hanoi for the Association’s chairman on September 12, during which he expressed his pleasure at the sound development of the relations between Thailand and Vietnam.

Hai emphasized that the upgrading of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in June this year marked a milestone in the relationship of two countries that are the first two members of ASEAN to establish a strategic partnership.

The Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association has organized numerous activities to connect the two countries’ people over the past years, Hai said, adding that he highly appreciated the association’s support to the Vietnamese community in Thailand. He also expressed his belief that the association will, together with the Vietnamese side, work more to strengthen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and peoples.

In reply, the association’s chairman briefed Deputy PM Hai on the activities of his delegation in Vietnam over the past few days and said that the two sides agreed to enhance activities to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Thailand.

Chaiyasan expressed his belief that both Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Association will continue to play a significant role in boosting the relations between the two countries in the future.