HCMC – Vietnam and South Korea want to strengthen bilateral relations as Vietnamese President To Lam met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Hanoi today during the latter’s ongoing visit to pay his last respects to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
Vietnam is holding a State funeral and two days of national mourning in honor of the late General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He passed away on July 19, 2024 at the age of 80.
During the meeting, PM Han acknowledged General Secretary Trong’s legacy and conveyed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s heartfelt condolences to the State, the people of Vietnam, and his family.
He praised Vietnam’s international standing, reaffirming South Korea’s commitment to Vietnam as a vital foreign policy partner and a key partner in regional efforts.
President Lam expressed gratitude for the condolences and emphasized Vietnam’s desire to strengthen cooperation with South Korea in various fields, including defense, security, trade, and investment.
He underscored the Party chief’s invaluable contributions to upgrading bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and South Korea in 2022.
On the same day, PM Han had a separate meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh. Both leaders stressed the need to enhance economic ties, with PM Chinh encouraging South Korean businesses to expand investments in Vietnam, particularly in sectors such as semiconductor and renewable energy.
South Korea is a major investor in Vietnam, with thousands of South Korean companies active in the country. The two nations aimed to bring two-way trade to US$150 billion by 2030.
