Top leader’s Thailand visit marks milestone for ties, diaspora recognition: former Thai lawmaker of Vietnamese origin

For many ethnic Vietnamese families in Udon Thani, the visit carries emotional and symbolic significance because it will include a stop at the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site, where revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh once lived during his activities in Thailand.

Ken Pitpatchaisiri, also known by his Vietnamese name Tran Van Kieu, a former Thai lawmaker of Vietnamese origin in Udon Thani, said the visit represents recognition for generations of overseas Vietnamese who have maintained ties with their homeland despite hardship.

He said many first-generation Vietnamese migrants in Thailand, most now over the age of 75, arrived poor and unable to speak Thai but later sent money back to Vietnam to support the country during wartime.

“For them, seeing Vietnam’s top leader visit in the later years of their lives is deeply meaningful,” he said.

The Vietnamese community in Udon Thani has grown more visible in recent years as business owners of Vietnamese origin have gained economic success and greater social acceptance in Thailand.

Ken said the city, which previously celebrated Lunar New Year mainly through Chinese cultural activities, now allocates separate spaces for Vietnamese cultural events.

During his term as a member of parliament, he joined the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group and helped promote Vietnam Town in Udon Thani, described as the first officially recognized Vietnamese-themed street in the world.

After leaving office, he converted part of his family’s hardware business into a Vietnamese-Thai restaurant called ‘Xin Chao,’ which also serves as a community gathering place for local residents and travelers.

Ken said the idea emerged after encouragement from former Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh to create a space that reflected Vietnamese identity along the street.

He said ties between Thailand and Vietnam have become increasingly open despite past barriers, with both countries expanding cooperation and cultural exchange.

“One of the pillars of the relationship is supply chain connectivity, and transportation infrastructure is the key,” he said.

Ken welcomed plans on direct flights between Vietnam and Udon Thani, as well as overland transport routes through Laos extending to northeastern Thailand, which he said could strengthen trade and people-to-people connections.

He recalled visiting a food manufacturing plant in Thailand owned by a businessman of Vietnamese origin where several production lines had been built in anticipation of future exports to Vietnam once transport links improved.

“Thailand and Vietnam should not see each other as competitors but as partners,” he said.

“We are not only neighbors, we also share bloodlines and common roots.”