General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, along with the Vietnamese delegation, concluded a successful state visit to South Korea at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse.

Over four days, Mr. To Lam’s agenda was rich and diverse, including meetings with South Korean leaders, political figures, economic and cultural organizations, scientists, and members of the Vietnamese community in South Korea, as well as Korean friends.

From economic cooperation to economic linkage

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said the visit deepened political trust, strengthened the personal rapport between the two countries’ top leaders, and reached key consensus on advancing and expanding the Vietnam–Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Impressed by Vietnam’s development achievements and international stature, President Lee Jae Myung hailed Vietnam as a “great country with great people” and expressed confidence that Vietnam would continue to achieve new milestones in national development.

South Korean leaders regard Vietnam as a top partner in implementing their regional foreign policy and expressed readiness to support Vietnam’s goal of becoming a developed, high-income nation by 2045.

Vietnam remains committed to its relations with South Korea and seeks to make cooperation more substantive, effective, and sustainable. Against the backdrop of global political and economic challenges, Mr. To Lam proposed a strategic vision shift - from mere economic cooperation to full economic linkage.

This includes joint development of production chains, market access for each other’s goods, and deeper participation of Vietnamese enterprises in the global supply chains of South Korean corporations.

He also urged South Korean businesses to consider Vietnam as a global production hub and strategic destination for establishing research and development centers, while expanding investment in key sectors and building specialized industrial complexes along value chains in Vietnam.

Both sides agreed to make science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and human resource training new pillars of their relationship. They also reaffirmed the role of people-to-people exchange as the social foundation binding the two nations, committing to further cooperation in culture, education, and support for multicultural families, as well as stronger ties between localities. Tourism cooperation and simplified travel procedures were also on the agenda.

Expanding cooperation and setting trade targets

The two sides pledged closer coordination at regional and international forums. The visit saw the signing of 50 cooperation agreements between ministries, organizations, businesses, and localities of both countries.

Following talks with President Lee Jae Myung, To Lam instructed Vietnamese ministries and provinces to review and enhance existing cooperation mechanisms, propose new dialogue platforms, and swiftly address emerging issues. Both nations aim to reach a balanced and sustainable bilateral trade turnover of USD 150 billion by 2030.

South Korea will share expertise in developing its entertainment industry and assist Vietnam in building a cultural industry strategy, including establishing a Vietnam Cultural Center in South Korea.

The two countries will also study expanding the scale and sectors for receiving Vietnamese workers in South Korea and boost links between Vietnamese educational institutions and top Korean universities and enterprises to develop high-quality human resources.

Tran Thuong