Ho Chi Minh City will continue to serve as an active bridge to deepen friendship between the Vietnamese and Thai people and strengthen connections between the two countries, as well as between the city and Bangkok and other Thai localities, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Hoang Nguyen Dinh said on August 21.

Dinh made the statement at a ceremony held by the municipal People’s Committee to mark the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Thailand diplomatic relations (August 6, 1976-2026).

He highlighted the steady development of Viet Nam-Thailand relations over the past five decades, from the establishment of a Strategic Partnership in 2013 and its upgrade to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership in 2019 and to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2025.

The increasingly solid foundation of political trust in Viet Nam-Thailand bilateral relations has provided strong momentum for deeper and more substantive cooperation across areas, he said.

Shared visions, aspirations and strategic interests provide a solid foundation for the two countries to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing not only to their development and prosperity but also to a united, resilient, peaceful and sustainably developing ASEAN region.

At the city level, Thailand has long been an important partner of Ho Chi Minh City in trade, investment, tourism, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges, he noted.

For his part, Parnpree Bahiddha Nukara, Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Thailand and Viet Nam have made impressive progress together since establishing diplomatic ties in 1976, with bilateral relations becoming increasingly strong and extensive.

He highlighted high-level exchanges in 2026, including the official visit to Thailand by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam in late May, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s official visit to Viet Nam in early June, saying that these visits demonstrated the two countries’ strong commitment to further deepening their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He also stressed the growing bonds between the two countries through people-to-people exchanges, business connections and local-level cooperation, noting that Viet Nam and Thailand are writing a new chapter on their increasingly enduring friendship, stronger partnership, deeper connectivity and shared prosperity.

By standing side by side and working closely together as partners, Thailand and Viet Nam, along with their people, will grow ever closer and stronger in the years and decades ahead, he said.