Thai King attends official dinner at Hanoi’s historic Tonkin Palace

HANOI, Vietnam — The King and Queen of Thailand attended an official dinner at Tonkin Palace in Hanoi on Tuesday evening, hosted by To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and president of Vietnam, and his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly.

The royal couple travelled from the Fairmont Hai Noi, where they are staying, to Tonkin Palace for the dinner.

According to the Bureau of the Royal Household, the King and Queen of Thailand are making an official visit to Vietnam from 14–16 September at To Lam’s invitation. The visit marks the 50th anniversary of Thai-Vietnamese diplomatic relations and aims to further strengthen ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Before the dinner, the King and Queen laid wreaths at the Bac Son Martyrs’ Monument and the mausoleum of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh. They later met To Lam and his wife at the National Assembly Building, while the King also granted audiences to Vietnam’s prime minister and National Assembly chairman.

Tonkin Palace, also known as Bac Bo Phu or the “Northern Palace”, was built in 1918 in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district. It was once used as a residence and workplace by Ho Chi Minh and was registered as a national historical site in 1985.

The palace underwent major restoration in 2025 and now houses an office of Vietnam’s president. An adjoining glasshouse serves as a venue for government receptions for foreign guests.

On Wednesday, the King and Queen are scheduled to visit Quan Su Pagoda, where senior Vietnamese Buddhist monks will conduct a blessing ceremony, before visiting the Thai Language and Culture Centre at Hanoi University. The King is also scheduled to present teaching materials to the centre, which has offered Thai-language courses since 2009.