Thailand is considering direct flight connections between the northeastern region and Vietnam to promote tourism and contacts between the two countries, NBT reported on Friday.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said during a visit to Vietnam that a plan to open new routes between northeastern airports and Vietnam would drive tourism and promote transport, the state broadcaster said without giving details.
Thailand also planned to promote more land transport between the two countries via Laos, she added.
In 1995, Thai Airways International had considered a route from Bangkok to Danang with a stopover in Ubon Ratchathani due to a large population of Thai-Vietnamese in the northeastern province.
About 1 million Vietnamese tourists visit Thailand and 500,000 travellers from Thailand go to Vietnam every year, with Hue, Danang, Dalat and Sapa among their favourite destinations, according to the Thai government.
Vietnam and Thailand on Friday announced they upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Vietnamese state media reported.
The announcement was made after Ms Paetongtarn met her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh during her two-day visit to Hanoi ending on Friday.
Thailand is Vietnam's largest trading partner among Asean members, with bilateral trade exceeding US$20 billion last year, the Vietnamese government said on Friday. Thai firms have so far invested more than $14 billion in Vietnam.
The two neighbours aim to bring their bilateral trade to $25 billion annually by 2030, the Vietnamese government said.
The two prime ministers witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents, including memorandums of understanding on cooperation in trade, anti-narcotics, banking, education and aviation, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.