On 26 September 2024, H.E. Mr. Piyapak Sricharoen, Director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Assistant Professor Dr. Thitirat Panbamrungkit, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Asian Studies and H.E. Mr. Pham Viet Hung, Ambassador of Viet Nam to Thailand, presided over the opening ceremony of the seminar “Advancing Concrete Cooperation between Thailand and Viet Nam under the Three Connects Strategy” at the Mandarin Hotel, Bangkok.

Participants from government agencies, private sector, academic institutions and the media exchanged views on ways forward to translate the Three Connects Strategy into concrete implementations.

On “Connecting Supply Chains”, Mr. Sanan Angubolkul, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand and President of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association, shared his insight on connecting supply chains between the two countries in complementary industries.

On “Connecting Local Economies”, Dr. Thong Kulthanyawat, President of the Thai-Vietnam Business Council and Chairman of VT Namnueng Co., Ltd., shared his experience on connecting local economies between the two countries.

On “Connecting Sustainable Development Strategies”, Dr. Rak Vorrakitpokatorn, President of the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of Thailand, offered his views on synergy cooperation between Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model with Viet Nam’s Green Growth Strategy, as well as EXIM Bank’s leading role in ESG and green financing.

The seminar was co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Mekong Studies Centre under the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University.