Minister Nguyen Van Hung (R) and Minister Phiphat Ratchakitpra (Photo: TDO)
On May 19, in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chairman of the Vietnam Olympic Committee and Head of the Organizing Committee of the 31st SEA Games, had a meeting and worked with the delegation of the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports led by Minister Phiphat Ratchakitpra on the occasion of attendance to the 31st SEA Games.
At the meeting, Minister Nguyen Van Hung congratulated the Thai delegation when it was one of the very successful teams competing at the 31st SEA Games. This proves that Thailand is a country that has great interest in sports development.
In the field of tourism, affirming that Vietnam and Thailand have jointly cooperated in issuing policies on boosting the development of the smokeless economy, Minister Nguyen Van Hung said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of tourists between Vietnam and Thailand was very impressive, contributing significantly to the GDP growth of each country. More specifically, the people of the two countries had the opportunity to understand more about the cultures of the two nations, and help strengthen the friendship between the two countries.
He suggested the two sides create the best conditions for the peoples to travel conveniently.
Speaking at the meeting, Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitpra expressed his impression of the organization of the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam. According to Minister Phiphat Ratchakitpra, right after the COVID-19 pandemic passed the most complicated time, Vietnam made great efforts to actively prepare facilities and related activities for the 31st SEA Games.
The Thai Minister highly appreciated Vietnam's seizing the opportunity at the 31st SEA Games to promote the image of the country, culture and people to international friends, contributing to promoting the cause of recovery and growth of tourism in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period.
Referring to the plan to develop cooperation in the field of sports in the coming time, Minister Phiphat Ratchakitpra affirmed that Thailand is ready to exchange sports coaches. Accordingly, Thailand wants Vietnam to send talented coaches in several sports to Thailand and Thailand is also willing to send coaches to Vietnam for developing sports to reach the continental level.
Regarding tourism cooperation, Minister Phiphat Ratchakitpra hoped that Vietnam and Thailand would have mutual support in the plan to recover and develop the tourism industry after reopening. In addition, the Thai side expects the two sides to promote cooperation to welcome tourists from Vietnam, Thailand and from third countries./.