Bangkok (VNA) – The Vietnamese Consulate General in Thailand’s Khon Kaen province on March 30 hosted a seminar to promote investment, trade, and tourism ties between Vietnam and Northeast Thailand, which is strategically positioned along the East-West economic corridor.

The event was attended by representatives from friendship associations of both nations, the overseas Vietnamese and Thai-Vietnamese business associations, as well as provincial leaders from Khon Kaen and Nong Khai provinces. Approximately 160 entrepreneurs from the Vietnamese diaspora and businesses across Vietnam also participated.

Speaking at the seminar, Consul General Dinh Hoang Linh said based on the sides’ geographical proximity and cultural and historical ties, there is untapped potential for economic cooperation, particularly in infrastructure and logistics, agricultural production and food processing, renewable energy, creative technology-innovation, and tourism.

Siriwat Pinijipanich, Deputy Governor of Khon Kaen, underscored the close-knit relationship between Thailand and Vietnam, which extends from governmental to local levels. As a sister city to Da Nang, Khon Kaen hopes the seminar will open new business-to-business connections, not only between the two twin cities but also between those in Northeast Thailand and Vietnamese localities.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in Thailand, Steve Bui, Chairman of Delta E&C Group, pointed to numerous investment cooperation opportunities, particularly in student exchange programmes and the establishment of AI technology and digital transformation laboratories. He noted that they would enable Vietnamese and Thai students to share knowledge and collaborate on AI and healthcare research projects.

Nguyen Huynh Vinh Huy, chairman of the young entrepreneurs’ association of Vietnam’s south-central province of Phu Yen, viewed the seminar as a key opportunity to explore tariff policies and facilitate the official export of locally farmed lobster and tuna to Thailand.

As part of the event, Vietnamese enterprises – spanning the education, food production, green agriculture, and seafood sectors – signed several memoranda of understanding with Thai businesses. Additionally, they engaged in meetings with Vietnamese expat community associations, business networking activities, product exhibitions, and site visits to manufacturing facilities in Northeast Thailand./.