Hanoi, Seoul look ahead to closer bilateral cooperation

The signing of a tourism cooperation agreement between Hanoi and Seoul . (Source: VNA)

Seoul (VNA) – Hanoi and Seoul leaders expressed their willingness to boost bilateral cooperation during a visit of a Hanoi delegation to the capital city of the Republic of Korea from August 17-21.

During meetings on August 18 between the Hanoi delegation, led by Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, and Seoul city officials, the two cities agreed on priority fields in their cooperation in the next period, which are e-government, information technology and telecommunications, promotion of investment-trade-service, urban and environmental management, culture, art and education.

Both sides shared the desire to sign a cooperation agreement for the new period during a visit to Hanoi by Seoul city’s council and government delegation at the end of this year.

On the night of August 18, the opening ceremony of “Hanoi Days in Seoul 2016” took place at the Cheonggye Square with dancing and traditional music instrument performances, leaving profound impressions on local people.

The three-day event is one of activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Vietnam and the RoK and the 20th anniversary of the Hanoi-Seoul relationship.

A range of activities were held on the occasion, including art performances and a photo exhibition, in order to introduce to local people Hanoi’s thousand-year history, historical and cultural relic sites and rich intangible culture, along with its image as a city of peace and dynamic development, and an appealing destination for tourists and investors.

During the Hanoi Days, the Hanoi People’s Committee coordinated with the Seoul city government and Vietnam’s embassy in the RoK to organise a conference entitled “Hanoi-Seoul: Promoting cooperation, investment and trade-service development.”

Solutions to attract investment and boost trade and tourism ties between the two cities, especially in the context of the Vietnam-RoK free trade agreement taking effect in December, 2015, were high on the agenda of the conference.

Speaking at the conference, Ngo Van Quy, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, said the RoK is the leading country in terms of investment, trade and tourism in Hanoi and has made significant contributions to Hanoi’s construction and development cause.

The Hanoi government is committed to creating the best possible conditions for RoK enterprises and investors to seek investment and business opportunities in Hanoi, added Quy.-VNA