Lam Dong (VNA) – The10th joint conference of the Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Associationand the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association took place in Da Lat city, theCentral Highlands province of Lam Dong, on November 27.

President of the Vietnam-ThailandFriendship Association Ta Quang Ngoc said the event marks the 10th anniversary of the conference, which was first held in Thailand’s Khon Ken cityin March 2010.

Prapansak Bhatayanond, VicePresident of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association, showed his delight atclose relations between the two associations, contributing to the enhancementof the relationship between the two countries.

He said that the conference is achance for both sides to seek cooperation measures for the following years.

The two sides noted that theVietnam-Thailand partnership has grown strongly over the past decade. Thailandhas become the biggest trade partner of Vietnam among ASEAN countries withtwo-way trade being on the rise in recent years. The two sides are striving toraise bilateral trade to 20 billion USD in 2020.

In 2018, more than 300,000 Thai touristsvisited Vietnam and over 1 million Vietnamese travelled to Thailand. So far, 16provinces and cities of Vietnam have set up twin relations with Thailocalities.

Participants at the conferenceagreed on the future orientations by optimising the role and positions of thetwo associations in fostering people-to-people exchange between the twonations, thereby enhancing the strategic partnership between Vietnam andThailand.

Both sides will work together inorganising activities to mark the 45thfounding anniversary ofdiplomatic relations between the two countries in 2021. Meanwhile, they willcontinue working to promote the cooperation between the two countries in trade,investment, tourism, culture, education, and local collaboration.

Addressing the event, ViceChairman of the Lam Dong People’s Committee said that an air route connectingDa Lat and Bangkok was launched in December 2017 with 5-7 flights per week.

Lam Dong has actively soughtpartnerships with Thai partners, with the organisation of an investment, tradeand tourism promotion conference in Bangkok in October 2018, which drew morethan 300 delegates from Thai authorized agencies, businesses and investors.

Last year, Lam Dong welcomedabout 40,000 Thai visitors. As of mid-November, the province served more than36,000 Thai tourists, up 4.5 percent year on year, he added.

On the occasion, AmbassadorNguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO)presented a Friendship Order of the Vietnamese State to Prapansak Bhatayanond,Vice President of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association, and a “For peaceand  friendship between nations”  insignia of the VUFO to four members of theassociation./.