Bangkok (VNA) – Vietnamese PresidentNguyen Xuan Phuc’s upcoming official visit to Thailand marks a new milestone inthe relationship between the two countries, according to an article publishedon ThaiPBSWorld, an English news website by the Thai Public BroadcastingService (Thai PBS).

President Phuc, his spouse, and a high-rankingdelegation of Vietnam will pay an official visit to Thailand and attend the29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, from November16-19.

The President’s Thailand visit and attendance of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is made at the invitation of the Prime Ministerof Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The article, published on November 13, said the twocountries have elevated their relations to a strengthened strategicpartnership, upgrading from a strategic partnership they have held since 2013.

His visit is very much anticipated, as the leadershave not yet had the opportunity to meet face-to-face.

During the pandemic, bilateral mechanisms such asthe Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, the Political ConsultationGroup, the Joint Working Group on Political and Security Cooperation and theJoint Trade Committee continued to hold discussions and consultations viavirtual meetings, the article said.

As a lower riparian country, Vietnam is also a keydriver of development in the Mekong sub-region, especially the revitalisedAyeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). All along,Vietnam has played a crucial role in highlighting the Mekong’s plights relatedto water management, biodiversity conservation, migration and fish stocks,among others.

The article noted that during the ASEAN Chairmanshipin 2020, Vietnam was able to increase external engagement with ASEAN dialoguepartners to provide assistance to the Mekong sub-region.

Over the years, Thailand has increased itsinvestment in Vietnam in all business sectors, including real estate,petro-chemicals, alternative energy, retail businesses and food processing.Vietnam is the fifth largest trading partner of Thailand and the second afterMalaysia in ASEAN. Last year, bilateral amounted to 19.4 billion USD, a 17.3%increase from the previous year, with a trade surplus of 5.6 billion USD.

Thailand’s investment in Vietnam currently rankseighth, with a total of 644 projects worth more 13 billion USD. Among the ASEANmembers, it ranks second after Singapore.

Thailand and Vietnam have established 14 pairs of sistercities, second only to China with a total of 42 pairs.

The most promising area remains tourism, due to thepopularity of Thai destinations among Vietnamese visitors. In the first half ofthis year, at least 70,000 Vietnamese visited Thailand. Prior to the COVID-19outbreak, there were 288 flights weekly, with the capacity to carry nearly4,839 passengers per day, or 50,970 per week. From January to May this year, atotal of 44,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Thailand./.