Mayor of Busan city Suh Byung-soo has hailed the conclusion of free trade agreement talks between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam, saying that it is an important milestone in bilateral cooperation across economics, trade and investment.

Meeting Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Busan on December 11, Suh expressed hope for closer friendship between the two nations, and suggested Vietnam allow Busan Bank to open a branch in the country.

Busan and Ho Chi Minh City are twinning cities, with nearly 340 Busan companies operating in Vietnam and about 10,000 Vietnamese living and working in the city, he said.

The host pledged to do his best to assist the Vietnamese community in Busan.

The PM proposed Busan enhance coordination with Vietnam in education-training and health care, including providing more scholarships for Vietnamese students and making it easier for Vietnamese expatriates to integrate into the society.

The same day, the Vietnamese government leader met with executives of Doosan, CJ, Teakwang, Lotte corporations, during which, he promised all possible support for them to operate in Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is in the RoK for a working visit and to attend the commemorative summit marking 25 years of the ASEAN-RoK dialogue partnership.-VNA