Twenty-five Thai and Vietnamese officials headed by the Royal Consul General in HCM City visited southern Viet Nam yesterday on their way to Bangkok to promote tourism activities.
Accompanied by Vietnamese and Thai media, the officials aim to promote the sustainability of tourism in the ASEAN Economic Community through 2015.
The Thai Royal Consul General in HCM City, Panpimon Suwannapongse, travelled with Pham Thanh Tuoi, vice chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee and the chairman of the Ca Mau Province People's Committee.
Leaders of other localities in the Mekong (Cuu Long) Delta along the tourism economic corridor were also present.
The corridor is located along coastal route R10 that connects the Trat province of Thailand to the border of Cambodia through Koh Kong.
It goes along the Thai coastline to Sre Ambel, Kampot and Kep of Cambodia, and then links to the border through Ha Tinh and ends at southernmost Ca Mau Province in Viet Nam.
Thailand considers the southern coastal route linking Cambodia and Viet Nam to be important for economic cooperation and development.
Beginning from HCM City, the officials stopped at Can Tho, Ca Mau and Kien Giang Province. They then plan to visit Sihanoukville and Koh Kong in Cambodia on their way to other stops.
At each province in both countries, the participants will learn about the area's economic potential and opportunities.
The Gross Domestic Product of the five provinces combined is one-fifth of Thai GDP.
Thailand also wants to open a sea route from the Thailand Gulf to Viet Nam's Ca Mau province.
According to an official from Thai Trade Center in HCM City, trade volume between the two countries has increased 20 per cent each year in recent years. Thai investment in Viet Nam ranks 10th among other countries.
Thailand also wants to promote investment in small-and medium-sized enterprises in Viet Nam, especially in the Mekong Delta's agricultural sector, fishery and food processing.
Thai investment is now mostly for infrastructure for industrial zones, new urban centers and hotels, and facilities for tourism and industry in southeast Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces, and HCM City and Ha Noi.
With further investment along the corridor, Ca Mau is expected to become an important economic area in the Mekong Delta and a business gate for the ASEAN member nations.