ĐÀ NẴNG – Đà Nẵng has become an attractive destination for trade, investment, education, tourism and cultural exchanges with Thai partners, as the beach city is a key gateway to the Asia Pacific and the East-West Economic Corridor connecting Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Việt Nam with good investment infrastructure.

Vice chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee, Nguyễn Thị Anh Thi, spoke at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Việt Nam, stressing that cooperation and investment potential have plenty of room to expand for the two nations over the next decades.

Thi said Thai investors had poured US$112 million into 16 projects in the city, and the figure would  increase as the two countries had been implementing the Việt Nam-Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2026-31 period.

“The relationship between the two sides has changed from education and cultural exchanges into deeper investment in trade and tourism. Đà Nẵng has been calling for more investment projects from Thailand as the city started establishing the Free Trade Zone, the International Finance Centre and building deep-sea Liên Chiểu Port,” Thi said.

“Đà Nẵng, which is situated at the end of the East-West Economic Corridor, will help promote the global logistics chain by road and air service. It needs more flights operating between Thailand and Đà Nẵng to serve expected growth in different sectors of high-tech industries, energy, retail and tourism.”

According to head of the Royal Thai Consulate General in HCM City, Wiraka Moodhitaporn, Việt Nam is not only a close friend and an important partner in ASEAN, but also a country with which Thailand shares many similarities and complementary strengths.

 

“Đà Nẵng City is a particularly important partner for Thailand. Our connections have continued to deepen through an expanded network of global partnerships. The beach city has established sister city relations with Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, while discussions are underway to establish a partnership with Mukdahan Province,” Wiraka Moodhitaporn stressed.

“This partnership provides a valuable platform for our local governments, businesses and educational institutions and communities to exchange experiences, promote practical co-operation, and build lasting friendship.”

Lương Trường An, deputy general director of Thai Vietjet, shared that tourism between Thailand and Việt Nam had dramatically changed over the last decade.

He said previously, for every three Vietnamese tourists visiting Thailand, only one Thai traveller visited Việt Nam.

In 2025, Thailand hosted more than 600,000 Vietnamese visitors, while Việt Nam received 458,000 Thai tourists.

Thailand expected to receive more than 850,000 Vietnamese visitors in 2026.

Deputy Director of Đà Nẵng City’s Culture, Sports, Tourism Department Nguyễn Thị Hoài An said Đà Nẵng had connected Bangkok, Thailand with 48 return flights weekly.

 

Thai Airways planned to operate its Bangkok-Đà Nẵng route from this December with two return flights per day, An said.

The beach city welcomed 225,000 Thai visitors in the first seven months of 2026 for 23 per cent year-on-year growth, she added.

According to Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and the South Pacific, under the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thai tourists prefer Vietnamese destinations for their close distance, price and similarities in culture and lifestyle.

Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Sa Pa and Phú Quốc Island have become favourite options for Thai visitors, while Thai food, clothes and shopping are often attractions for Vietnamese travellers during journeys in Thailand.

Thailand’s tourism campaign in 2026 of ‘Healing is the new luxury’ also offers an opportunity for Đà Nẵng to become a new tourism product for the Thai market.

 

Lars Londal, CEO of Global Business Development and External Affairs for the Doi Dep ecosystem, who is also an experienced golf executive and a certified PGA professional coach, suggested that Việt Nam and Thailand could build the journey together with a regional golf opportunity, as the two countries have 380 combined golf courses.

He said Việt Nam and Thailand could not be without each other, and the two are not competitors but rather complement each other.

“Việt Nam and Thailand have their own identity, culture, traditions, natural attractions and individual strengths. Yet rather than seeing one another simply as competitors, there are much greater opportunities for the two countries to support, complement and strengthen each other.”

Thailand's Central Retail, which is committed to investing $1.5 billion to build a series of supermarkets and retail shopping centres in Việt Nam through 2027, officially introduced its MM Mega Market Đà Nẵng Centre, marking the first of its kind in central Việt Nam and part of the company’s expansion strategy. VNS