The fourth decade of His Majesty the King’s life was marked by a series of state visits that put Thailand on the global stage and enhanced International relations between Thailand and the international community. All in all, Their Majesties the King and Queen visited more than 25 countries in Asia, Australasia, Europe and America, with the bulk of the visits being concentrated in this decade.
The first of these trips was to Vietnam in 1959, followed by Indonesia and Burma, in 1960. Their Majesties embarked on a month-long visit to the United States, followed by a lengthy visit to 14 European countries.
The impact of these visits was enormous, and hugely beneficial to the country. Born and raised overseas, His Majesty the King was at ease in the foreign environments, and spoke in English, French and German on various occasions.
Though Her Majesty the Queen was more nervous and less vocal on these extended trips, particularly during media interviews, she attracted the world’s attention for her beauty, poise and glamour. Wearing a combination of western outfits designed by Pierre Balmain and Thai outfits which she had specifically compiled from ancient archives, this led to a revival of Thai costume as well as local hand-woven textiles, which had gradually become a dying art due to the influx of cheaper factory-produced printed fabrics.
The visits were also strategically beneficial to the country’s well-being, particularly during the Cold War. As noted by the foreign minister, Thanat Khoman: "The underlying objective of His Majesty’s state visits was to make Thailand known internationally and to seek Western support in countering the spread of communism that was a threat to our national security."
His visits to rural Thailand had started a few years earlier, with an extended trip to the northeast of the country in 1955, the first time a Thai monarch had visited this region. He returned to Isan in 1958, and in the following year he travelled to the South. These trips to remote corners of the Kingdom became a trademark of His Majesty’s reign, and historical photographs today often show the monarch making his way over rough terrain by car, by boat and even on foot, to visit his people, and gain a first-hand experience about their woes so he could find a way to help them. His tools of trade were a camera, a self-produced map and a pencil. With these tools and his talks to village elders and farmers, he began to gain a full perspective of his country that was a far cry from the mountains of Lausanne where he had spent most of his childhood.
He was to spend up to eight months of the year travelling upcountry, using his regional palaces – Bhubing Palace in Chiang Mai, Phu Phan Palace in Sakon Nakhon, Klai Kangwon Palace in Hua Hin and Thaksin Ratchaniwet Palace in Narathiwat – as his bases. With his deep understanding of the problems and the geography, as well as the cultural differences of each locality, he gradually formulated his own remedies that would improve their well-being and livelihood, more than any government has ever been able to do for its citizens.