Thai Parliament Chief Visits Vietnam on Official Diplomatic Tour

On August 5, 2026, at 9:45 a.m., Sophon Saram, President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives, arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, where he received an honorable reception at the special reception building. The welcoming ceremony included Vietnamese National Assembly Vice President Nguyen Doan Anh and Hon. Vu Hai Ha, Vice Chairman of the National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs Committee, along with Thai Ambassador Uraiwan Sripirom and representatives from the Vietnamese National Assembly.

At 10:00 a.m., Sophon and the Thai parliamentary delegation proceeded to the Thai Embassy in Hanoi to hear a briefing on Thai-Vietnamese relations. Ambassador Sripirom welcomed the delegation and expressed delight that this was the first official visit by a Thai parliament leader in 15 years, marking an important occasion as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of Thai-Vietnamese diplomatic relations on August 6, 2026.

During the briefing, the ambassador presented an overview of bilateral relations across political security, economics, trade, investment, education, and people-to-people cooperation, highlighting that the two countries now share their strongest relationship since establishing diplomatic ties 50 years ago. Thailand remains Vietnam's top trading partner in ASEAN, while Vietnam is Thailand's second-largest ASEAN trading partner, reflecting continuous economic growth and serving as a foundation for upgrading comprehensive strategic partnership.

At 2:40 p.m., the parliament leader participated in laying wreaths at the War Martyrs Monument and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to honor Vietnamese national heroes. At 3:10 p.m., Sophon met and held bilateral discussions with Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly, and toured the National Assembly building and its museum. At 6:00 p.m., he joined Tran Thanh Man and Vietnamese National Assembly representatives for a state dinner.