In a corner of Thailand, diaspora plot a little Vietnam

“With the approval and support of Udon Thani authorities, Vietnamese people in Thailand would open the world’s first ‘Vietnam Town’,” Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh said during a meeting between the president and the Vietnamese community.

Phuc responded that the proposal to build a Vietnamese neighborhood was appropriate and a good model.

Nguyen Ngoc Thin, president of the General Association of Vietnamese in Thailand, said the “Vietnam Town” would mainly comprise a Vietnamese food street built at an initial cost at around ฿3 million ($83,960) that is expected to be completed at the end of this year.

“Vietnamese food is very popular in Thailand. It’s good and it’s inexpensive, so it is loved by Thai people,” Thin said.

If the project is successful, it could be replicated in other Thailand regions, providing new business opportunities for the Vietnamese community, he added.

More than 100,000 people of Vietnamese origin live in Thailand.

President Phuc is on a four-day (November 16-19) visit to Thailand, combining an official visit to the neighboring country with attending the 2022 APEC Summit at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha. The 2022 APEC Summit Week (November 14-19) is taking place in Bangkok.