In Bangkok, it was announced that Their Majesties King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand will undertake a three-day state visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic from March 16th to 18th, 2026, at the invitation of the President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand noted that the visit will further strengthen the longstanding friendship and close relations between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

The visit will mark the first visit to Laos by a Thai monarch in 32 years, since the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand paid a state visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on April 7th and 8th, 1994.

Relations between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic are rooted in shared historical, cultural, and religious traditions, reflecting centuries of interaction among the peoples of the Mekong region. 

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have developed further in the decades following the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975, with cooperation expanding in economic development, regional connectivity, and cultural exchange.

Cooperation between the two countries has also included royal development initiatives associated with the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose agricultural and rural development projects in the Kingdom of Thailand served as models for regional cooperation in sustainable farming and water management. 

In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Huayxone–Huayxua Agricultural Development Service Center in Vientiane was established as the first royal development project in the country under the initiative of the late Thai monarch, reflecting efforts to share agricultural knowledge and promote sustainable rural development.

The state visit follows the commemoration in 2025 of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.