At the welcoming ceremony held this morning at the National Assembly House, General Secretary, President To Lam and Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua participated in a flag-raising ceremony and reviewed the Vietnam People's Army Guard of Honor.

General Secretary, President To Lam and Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua reviewed the Vietnam People's Army Guard of Honor. Photo: Giang Huy.

A 21-gun salute was fired at Thang Long Imperial Citadel during the welcoming ceremony. This represents the most solemn welcoming ritual for foreign leaders in Vietnam's diplomatic protocol.

Following the ceremony, the two leaders held talks.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the Queen are on a state visit to Vietnam from 14-16/9, at the invitation of General Secretary, President To Lam and his spouse. Accompanying the Thai King are accompanying minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other high-ranking officials.

General Secretary, President To Lam and Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua participated in a flag-raising ceremony. Photo: Giang Huy.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), 74, ascended the throne in 2016. During his service in the Royal Thai Army, he held various important command and operational positions.

Pham Viet Hung, Vietnam's Ambassador to Thailand, stated that this state visit by the Thai King and Queen to Vietnam holds particular significance, marking a new historical milestone in the good cooperative friendship between Vietnam and Thailand over the past 50 years.

General Secretary, President To Lam and his spouse with Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and the Queen. Photo: Giang Huy.

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1976, this marks the first state visit by a Thai King and Queen to Vietnam. For King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida, this is also their first visit to Vietnam in their capacity as the Thai King and Queen.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn previously visited Vietnam in 1992 and 1997 as Crown Prince.

Vietnam and Thailand upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on 16/5/2025 and signed an Action Program to implement this Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2026-2031 phase on 28/5.

The artillery battery fired during the welcoming ceremony for the Thai King on the morning of 15/9. Photo: TTXVN.

Thailand is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner within ASEAN. In 2025, total two-way trade turnover reached 22,1 billion USD, an increase of 9% compared to 2024. In the first 7 months of 2026, total two-way trade turnover exceeded 15,03 billion USD.

The Vietnamese community in Thailand numbers over 100,000 people. The number of Vietnamese international students and students studying and researching in Thailand ranges from 2,000 to 3,000.

Ngoc Anh