On 1 April 2014, H.E. Mr. Panyarak Poolthup, Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam paid a courtesy call to H.E. Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at the Government Office to introduce himself as a newly appointed Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam.  

     H.E. Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung congratulated H.E. Mr. Panyarak Poolthup on his appointment and for the elevation of the bilateral relations between Thailand and Vietnam to the level of ‘Strategic Partnership’. The Prime Minister hoped that both sides could convene the 3rd Thailand-Vietnam Joint Cabinet Retreat so that the Plan of Action to Implement the Strategic Partnership could be signed at the earliest opportunity.  The Ambassador was requested to push for the bilateral trade volume to reach 15 billion US Dollars in the year 2020 as agreed by both governments.  The Prime Minister praised the constructive role of Thailand as the country coordinator for the ASEAN-China dialogue relations and in enhancing the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the ongoing negotiation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). The Prime Minister also expressed his wishes that the political situation in Thailand will soon return to normal. 

     H.E. Mr. Panyarak Poolthup, in turn, pledged to fully cooperate with the Vietnamese Government and related authorities to foster the Strategic Partnership. He also shared the view expressed by the Prime Minister that the 3rd Thailand-Vietnam Joint Cabinet Retreat should be convened and the Plan of Action to Implement the Strategic Partnership should be signed once Thailand has a new government.  The Ambassador praised the excellent cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand in multilateral fora including the United Nations and ASEAN and reassured that Thailand would do its best as the country coordinator for ASEAN-China relations especially in advancing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. While agreeing to increase the bilateral trade and investment, the Ambassador requested the Vietnamese side to provide more conducive business environment for the Thai business sector. Lastly, the Ambassador expressed his gratitude for the genuine concern expressed by the Vietnamese leadership regarding the political situation in Thailand, nevertheless, the Ambassador stated that the economic and trade relations as well as people-to-people connectivity between the two countries still being conducted as usual.