Thai King pilots his own plane to Vietnam for state visit
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida piloted their own aircraft into Hanoi on Monday afternoon, beginning a state visit to Vietnam.
In a historic visit to Vietnam, Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, took to the skies himself in his personal aircraft to begin a state visit on September 16. Accompanied by his wife, Queen Suthida, the royal couple was met at the airport by high-ranking Vietnamese officials, including the Party General Secretary and President To Lam, and his spouse. The delegation also included Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister, Dang Hoang Giang, and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand, Pham Viet Hung.
The 74-year-old monarch, who ascended the Thai throne in 2016, has a distinguished career in the Royal Thai Armed Forces, holding various command and staff positions. Trained as a military pilot, the King has flown both civilian and military aircraft, holding commercial pilot licenses from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. Queen Suthida, too, has a background in aviation, having worked as a flight attendant for JALways and Thai Airways before joining the military in 2008. She is also a licensed commercial pilot.
This visit holds special significance, marking the first state visit to Vietnam by a Thai monarch in over five decades of diplomatic relations established in 1976. It is also the first time the King and Queen have visited Vietnam together in their royal capacities. The King made previous visits to Vietnam in 1992 and 1997, while serving as Crown Prince.
The relationship between Vietnam and Thailand has seen a recent upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, effective from May 16, 2025. On May 28, 2026, they signed an action program outlining plans to implement this partnership over the 2026-2031 period. Thailand is Vietnam's largest trading partner within ASEAN, with two-way trade reaching $22.1 billion in 2025, up 9% from the previous year, and exceeding $15.03 billion in the first seven months of 2026 alone.
Additionally, more than 100,000 Vietnamese citizens reside in Thailand, and between 2,000 and 3,000 Vietnamese are either studying or conducting research in the country.
Written by urgent.news from VnExpress International's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
