Bangkok (VNA) – Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2026 officially opened in Bangkok on September 17, offering Vietnamese businesses a chance to gain deeper access to Thailand’s retail market.

Held at centralwOrld under the theme “Discover the Charm of Vietnam”, the four-day event brings together 60 Vietnamese businesses showcasing products ranging from processed food, coffee and noodles to fish sauce, handicrafts and regional specialties. It also promotes Vietnamese cuisine, culture and tourism.

Marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Thailand, it is jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Central Group and Central Retail.

Speaking at the opening, Central Group Chairwoman Wallaya Chirathivat said the programme had evolved since its launch in 2016 from a promotional event into a platform connecting businesses and creating commercial opportunities.

The event also includes a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Central Retail, NAPAS and VietinBank to facilitate cross-border QR payments between Vietnamand Thailand, linking trade with tourism and digital payment services.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung said the Vietnamese Week serves as an important bridge for establishing substantive economic linkages, helping to shift bilateral economic cooperation from expanding in scale toward enhancing quality and achieving deeper integration into value chains.

Speaking at the event, Chananan Phanrit, a local consumer, spoke highly of the quality of Vietnamese products. She said she was particularly impressed by the street food area and purchased several signature products, including agarwood wooden bracelets and traditional Phu Quoc fish sauce.

Earlier that morning, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in cooperation with Central Retail, organised a seminar titled “Connecting Supply and Demand between Vietnamese and Thai Businesses.”

At the event, Vietnamese manufacturers directly introduced their products to Central Retail’s procurement representatives across various sectors, including food and beverages (Tops and GO! Wholesale supermarket chains), hospitality and resorts (Centara Hotels & Resorts), and home appliances and furnishings (Central Home Group).

Paul Le, Vice President of Trade Promotion at Central Retail Vietnam, noted that Vietnamese companies have made significant progress in product design, packaging, and brand-building capabilities. He said they are well positioned to meet the standards required for distribution through Thailand’s modern retail system, as well as for export to major international markets.

Thailand is a major trading partner of Vietnam in ASEAN. Bilateral trade reached more than 22 billion USD in 2025 and continued to grow strongly this year, reaching 18.5 billion USD in the first eight months, up 30.6% year-on-year./.