Akniti revealed that Thailand and Vietnam agreed to shift their perspective from competitors to partners by linking cross-border payment systems between Thailand's PromptPay and Vietnam's VietQR, supporting the use of local currencies—the baht and the dong.
On 10 June 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Akniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, disclosed that during the Thailand–Viet Nam Investment and Business Networking 2026 meeting, which Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul attended, both countries changed their view from competitors to growth partners. They aim to jointly build a stable economic foundation and efficiently connect to the global value chain. To drive this goal, he presented the Three Connects strategy, focusing on linking three main areas: supply chain integration, local economy and small business connectivity, and green growth strategies.
Mr. Akniti stated that at this forum, the government involved the private sector from five future industries to explore business expansion: clean energy; digital and semiconductor sectors to enhance roles in global technology; food and beverage aiming to become a high-quality production base; tourism promoting the concept of one trip, two experiences to distribute income; and industrial estate development to integrate regional production bases.
At the same time, emphasis was placed on financial infrastructure, highlighting the success of linking cross-border payment systems between Thailand's PromptPay and Vietnam's VietQR. They also promoted the use of local currencies—the baht and the dong—to increase liquidity and reduce risks from exchange rate fluctuations. The Thai government reaffirmed its commitment to work with Vietnam across all dimensions to turn opportunities from discussions into agreements, agreements into investments, and ultimately achieve sustainable shared prosperity for the people of both countries.