Vice Secretary General of the Thai Board of Investment ( BOI) Vasana Mututanont said this at a seminar on opportunities to strengthen trade and investment in Vietnam, which was held in Bangkok by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the BOI on September 18.

Head of the MFA Department for East Asia, Paskorn Siriyaphan, said Vietnam is an important market for Thai enterprises and said he hopes to boost more trade and investment in the country.

Trade between the two countries has developed significantly with two-way turnover reaching US$9.5 billion last year compared to just US$3.6 billion recorded in 2006.

Thailand ranks third among the ASEAN countries investing in Vietnam, with US$6.7 billion in registered capital and creating jobs for over 12,000 local people.