Vietnam’s To Lam seeks to ‘re-energise’ Thai ties with trade, Ho Chi Minh’s legacy

AdvertisementThailandThis Week in AsiaPoliticsVietnam’s To Lam seeks to ‘re-energise’ Thai ties with trade, Ho Chi Minh’s legacy

The president, who visited Ho Chi Minh’s former home in Udon Thani, will meet the Thai king and hold talks with PM Anutin

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Aidan JonesPublished: 12:16pm, 28 May 2026Vietnam’s globetrotting leader To Lam began his first trip to Thailand with trade and security talks dominating the agenda, as well as a symbolic visit to the former home of Ho Chi Minh, the founder of modern Vietnam who once lived in the northeast of the kingdom.To Lam, the president and general secretary of the Communist Party, is seen by many as the country’s most powerful leader since the era of Ho Chi Minh.

The former secret policeman has been zipping across global capitals as he seeks to light a fire under Vietnam’s growth, targeting 10 per cent annual expansion of the economy until 2030 in defiance of the trade ruin wrought by US tariffs and wars.

AdvertisementThe three-day visit, which ends on Friday, will include an audience with the Thai king and talks with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

To Lam began his trip in the northeastern second-tier city of Udon Thani on Wednesday afternoon, an unusual setting for his Thai debut.

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Experts say the choice of location is laden with symbolism that enables him to tip his hat to both Vietnam’s Communist Party lore and the national hero Ho Chi Minh, while threading a line between two countries who historically have not always been on the same side.

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