King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida arrive in Vietnam

King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand have arrived in Hanoi to begin their visit to Vietnam — piloting themselves into a rainy international airport.  

King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi yesterday afternoon with, in typical Thai King and Queen fashion, Their Majesties in the cockpit for the diplomatic arrival. Both the King and the Queen are qualified pilots and hold respective commercial pilot licenses (CPL) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.

Around 4:15 pm on Monday, the King and Queen arrived by royal aircraft in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The Palace notes that shortly after landing, Their Majesties granted an audience to Ms Urawadee Sriphiromya, Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam, as well as Mr Le Cong Dung, Director-General of the Department of State Protocol of Vietnam, who ‘invited’ Their Majesties to disembark from the aircraft.

Mr Le Khanh Hai, the Vietnamese Minister-in-Attendance, along with high-ranking officials from both Vietnam and Thailand, were present to welcome Their Majesties.

King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida then walked past a waiting Guard of Honour before proceeding to the Fairmont Hanoi Hotel, which the Vietnamese government arranged for the royal couple.

Photo: Royal Office of Thailand

At the Fairmont Hanoi, the King and Queen were welcomed by Ms Saranya Paliwong, Minister of the Royal Thai Embassy in Hanoi, along with Embassy officials, representatives of the Thai community in Vietnam, and Mr Jean-Francois Brun, General Manager of the Fairmont Hanoi, along with hotel staff.

Later today, King Rama X and Queen Suthida will lay wreaths at the Bac Son Martyrs’ Monument and the Mausoleum of former President Ho Chi Minh. Their Majesties will also be received in an Official Welcoming Ceremony and meet with the General Secretary and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Tô Lâm, and his spouse, Ngô Thị Phương Ly, at the National Assembly. In the evening, the General Secretary and President, together with his spouse, will host a State Banquet in honour of Their Majesties at Tonkin Palace, after which they will proceed to Ngoc Son Temple to view cultural performances.