Seoul (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam on August 11 suggested the Republic of Korea (RoK) to step up support for Vietnamese companies in accessing the East Asian country’s e-commerce platforms, facilitate trade, and open markets for each other’s goods.
The Party chief made the suggestion at a meeting with Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok in Seoul as part of his state visit to the RoK.
PM Kim said General Secretary Lam’s visit marks a new milestone in bilateral ties, giving fresh impetus to advancing the RoK–Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership.
General Secretary Lam briefed on the positive outcomes of his talks with President Lee Jae Myung, noting that the two sides reached consensus on major directions and measures to comprehensively advance and deepen bilateral relations. He affirmed that Vietnam values its cooperation with the RoK and seeks to further strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership.
Both leaders lauded the progress in bilateral ties, underscored by regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level ones. The two countries have become trusted partners with close strategic cooperation, with economic collaboration remaining a highlight in their relations.
The RoK remains Vietnam’s largest source of foreign direct investment at 87 billion USD, its second-largest provider of official development assistance with 4 billion USD pledged for 2025–2030, and its third-largest trading partner with bilateral trade reaching 81.5 billion USD.
They exchanged views on further promoting substantive, effective and comprehensive economic cooperation, and on working closely together to implement the items under the Action Plan to achieve the target of 150 billion USD in bilateral trade by 2030 in a more balanced manner.
General Secretary Lam called on the RoK to help enhance the capacity of Vietnamese firms to integrate more deeply into the global supply chains of Korean companies, and to encourage Korean businesses to expand investment in Vietnam, particularly in infrastructure development, high-tech electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and smart cities. He also urged the development of specialised industrial production complexes along value chains, linking investment with technology transfer and workforce training to support Vietnam in building an independent, self-reliant, and globally integrated economy.
PM Kim expressed his hope that Vietnam would pay due attention and create favourable conditions for Korean enterprises to participate in Vietnam’s key projects, such as cooperation in nuclear power development using the RoK’s advanced technology, as well as projects on energy infrastructure, digital infrastructure, climate-resilient infrastructure, and high-speed rail. He affirmed that the RoK will continue to further expand its non-refundable aid, particularly in research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Stressing that science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and human resources training should become new pillars of bilateral relations, General Secretary Lam expected that the two sides would work together to develop strategic technology sectors, enhance cooperation in telecommunications, information technology, e-government, biotechnology, climate technology, nanotechnology, clean and renewable energy, as well as promote collaboration in digital transformation areas such as artificial intelligence and digital innovation policy-making.
The Party chief urged both sides to strengthen public trust, fostering close and enduring bonds between the two countries and their peoples. He welcomed the signing of the extension to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Employment Permit System (EPS) between Vietnam and the RoK, and suggested that the RoK continue to increase quotas and expand sectors for labour intake. He also called for stronger cooperation in education, requesting Korean support for training high-quality human resources in fields such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, biotechnology, shipbuilding, and artificial intelligence.
PM Kim affirmed that the RoK will continue to prioritise cooperation with Vietnam in developing high-quality human resources to serve the economic growth of both countries in the coming years.
On this occasion, General Secretary Lam thanked and asked the Korean Government to continue caring for and supporting the Vietnamese community in the country so they can feel secure in living, studying, and working there. He also called for consideration of visa simplification, towards visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens entering the RoK, thereby enhancing people-to-people exchanges and boosting bilateral tourism cooperation.
PM Kim noted that the Korean Government is actively considering simplifying visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens and will continue with support measures for foreign brides, including Vietnamese ones, to help them maintain stable lives in the RoK./.
