ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the Thailand Department of Disease Control's (DDC) early responses to COVID-19 in respect to communication with the international community and to identify the manner of Thailand's response during public health emergencies.MethodsDocuments and international response communication from 4–31 January 2020 were reviewed and dates of responses were collected for descriptive analysis. A questionnaire was submitted to the DDC officers responsible for international coordination. A meeting to identify responses was held to evaluate the self-assessed capacities of the Department's international communication.ResultsThailand began the COVID-19 screening protocol on 3 January 2020. International correspondence subsequently occurred continually either through the ASEAN or International Health Regulations (IHR) mechanisms. The total score of communication for international response was 88.9%. For IHR reporting duties, the median duration to respond was 2.49 hours. Official news was sent within a mean of 9.18 hours and the English daily situation reports were always uploaded onto the official website within 24 hours.ConclusionsThis study provided a benchmark for international coordination and communication capacities and also identified areas for improvement during public health emergencies, such as the need to identify English-speaking spokespeople to communicate at an international level.