Thai-Vietnam collaborations increasing in scope and variety

Gusto Thai, a Thai-style restaurant founded by a Vietnamese owner, was awarded the Thai SELECT certificate for the second time last week. This is a certificate for Thai restaurants that can guarantee food quality and taste, as well as a service style that embodies the essence of the Thai spirit.

Gusto Thai awarded its Thai SELECT 2022 certification

“Whenever I go overseas, my friends always take me out for Thai cuisine, which leaves an unforgettable memory for me,” said Pham Do Kim Phuong, Gusto Thai’s founder. “There are no really genuine Thai restaurants in Hanoi, even though Ho Chi Minh City has quite a few. This motivated me to open a restaurant serving true Thai cuisine.”

Since the head chef of the restaurant is Thai, there are tight restrictions on the ingredients used in the recipes. The taste of Vietnamese limes, which differ from those of Thailand, presents Phuong with difficulties as she searches for a typical Thai flavour.

The Thai SELECT certificate is approved by the Ministry of Commerce of the Thai government. Nikorndej Balankura, Thai Ambassador to Vietnam told VIR, “Thai SELECT is our effort to promote restaurants with standards that meet the conformity of our requirements. Thai food is a principal character in making people aware of Thailand. It is very important that the Thai SELECT has been given with a view to honouring restaurants that help us promote awareness of Thailand.”

In addition to culinary culture, Vietnam and Thailand have participated in a number of cultural exchange programmes and activities to bulk up the countries’ diplomatic ties.

On August 6, for instance, the establishment of a welcome gate on an international Vietnamese route began in Nong Khai province, northeastern Thailand. The construction is supported by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Khon Kaen in collaboration with the Nong Khai authorities, and overseas Vietnamese organisations in Thailand.

It seeks to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the beginning of the Vietnam-Thailand friendship in 1976.

Also in Vietnam, the Mini Thailand Week 2022 took place in Quang Ninh province on June 16-19 and in Ho Chi Minh City on August 5-7, with the goal of encouraging trade between Thailand and Vietnam as well as the business communities of the two nations.

The event was held by the Department of International Trade Promotion under the Thailand Ministry of Commerce, and featured over 100 booths showcasing excellent Thai items like food, beverages, home appliances, clothing, cosmetics, and beauty products.

Guests coming to the fair are able to shop with high-quality products and enjoy traditional Thai cuisine together with art events and entertainment.

During a visit to Bangkok in June, Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan met with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and reaffirmed that Thailand remains one of Vietnam’s key partners in the region.

Both parties said that the teaching of Thai and Vietnamese in each other’s nations will continue to be supported, along with the promotion of local-to-local and people-to-people exchanges and the preservation of Vietnamese cultural and also the historical values in Thailand.

They also agreed that the Vietnam-Thailand enhanced strategic partnership is flourishing in all sectors, with growing political trust, increasing trade and investment, thriving cultural and people-to-people interactions, and increasing locality-to-locality connections.

They committed to expanding mutual visits at all levels and growing bilateral trade in a balanced and mutually beneficial manner so as to reach a target of $25 billion by 2025.

Thailand is one of the top 10 foreign investors in Vietnam and the largest trading partner of the country among ASEAN nations. Vietnam and Thailand developed a strategic collaboration in 2013, which then advanced to a strengthened strategic partnership in 2019.