Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man and Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Cho Jeong-sik held talks in Seoul on September 7, during which they agreed on measures to deepen the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership, with a focus on economic ties, science and technology, parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
The talks took place immediately after an official welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese top legislator, his spouse and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. Speaker Cho expressed his appreciation for NA President Man for being the first guest invited after the RoK National Assembly completed the establishment of its new leadership.
He highlighted the significance of the visit, saying that it contributes to consolidating political trust and accelerating the implementation of high-level agreements, including outcomes from the August 2025 visit to the RoK by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam, and President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Vietnam in April 2026, thereby further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
He affirmed that the visit will strengthen cooperation between the two legislatures and called on the Vietnamese Government and NA to continue improving the legal framework to support Korean businesses in investing stably in Vietnam. He also pledged to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens and businesses in the RoK, including members of Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families.
Hailing Vietnam’s remarkable development achievements and growing international standing, Speaker Cho wished Vietnam success in achieving its national development goals, affirming that his country stands ready to accompany Vietnam on its next stage of development.
NA President Man spoke highly of the RoK NA’s pivotal role, expressing his impression of Speaker Cho’s guiding principles, which prioritise tangible results that people can feel, broadening public participation, and strengthening legislation in future industries, digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI).
Vietnam always regards the RoK as one of its most important strategic partners, he said, expressing his wish for bilateral relations to develop more strongly, substantively and effectively across all fields.
Appreciating the contributions of Korean businesses to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, NA President Man urged the RoK legislature to encourage Korean companies to expand investment in Vietnam in priority areas, including infrastructure, semiconductors, large-scale AI data centres, energy and seaports; create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to engage more deeply in the RoK’s manufacturing supply chains. He also called for further market opening for goods from both countries.
The two sides held extensive discussions on each country’s situation and measures to promote bilateral ties. They agreed to maintain regular high-level strategic exchanges and advance a strategic vision for economic connectivity in the new situation, aiming to raise two-way trade to 100 billion USD in 2026 and 150 billion USD by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable manner.
They agreed to prioritise non-refundable and concessional official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnamese projects, make science and technology a driver of bilateral relations, and improve policies to facilitate long-term investment by businesses from both countries.
The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in human resource training, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, while protecting the legitimate interests of Vietnamese and Korean communities in each other’s countries, including around 100,000 Vietnamese–Korean multicultural families.
Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the two leaders welcomed recent achievements and highlighted parliamentary diplomacy’s important role in monitoring and promoting the implementation of bilateral commitments and agreements. They agreed to increase all-level delegation exchanges, share law-making experience, strengthen cooperation among specialised committees, and effectively implement the memorandum of understanding on parliamentary cooperation signed in November 2025.
The two sides will promote the role of the legislative bodies in coordinating oversight of the implementation of international treaties and government cooperation agreements; improve policies and laws to create a favorable legal environment for businesses and people of both countries; and continue to coordinate and support each other at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums.
Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, the leaders agreed to enhance coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums.
NA President Man suggested the RoK side share experience and support Vietnam in successfully hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Week 2027, while strengthening coordination at the UN and effectively implementing ASEAN-RoK and Mekong-RoK cooperation mechanisms./.
