General Secretary To Lam and his wife leave for a visit to South Korea

The visit of the General Secretary and his wife was made at the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung and his wife.

The delegation included: Chairman of the Central Inspection Commission Nguyen Duy Ngoc; General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense; General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; Chief of the Party Central Committee Office Le Hoai Trung; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan; Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung; Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung; Mr. To An Xo, Assistant to the General Secretary, in charge of the General Secretary's Office; Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho.

Since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2022), Vietnam - Korea relations have entered an unprecedented period of deep and comprehensive development.

Political and diplomatic cooperation has been enhanced, and strategic trust has deepened. Dialogue mechanisms have been expanded not only on security and defense but also on technology, innovation, and sustainable development.

Trade and investment between the two countries have grown strongly, reaching over 90 billion USD by 2024, aiming for 100 billion USD. Korea has also become Vietnam's leading investment partner with a total capital of up to 92 billion USD. Korea is also the second largest development partner with ODA leading in ASEAN.

People-to-people exchange is another focus in Vietnam-Korea relations. The number of Vietnamese residing in Korea has increased sharply, reaching more than 300,000 permanent residents and more than 200,000 Koreans in Vietnam, working in all economic and social fields of the two countries.

However, the above achievements of the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership are just the beginning, there are still many resources that need to be unlocked, and potentials that need to be exploited. General Secretary To Lam's visit will be a new driving force, suggesting many long-term and effective solutions for the flow of relations to explode strongly in the new period.

Responding to the Vietnamese press before the visit, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that General Secretary To Lam's visit was the first event to welcome a foreign head of state and also the first state visit of the new South Korean government.

"Korea attaches great importance to its relationship with Vietnam and is a testament to my personal and the Korean Government's strong determination to develop the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" between the two countries towards the future," the President affirmed.

The relationship between South Korea and Vietnam is much closer than the usual geographical distance.

The President shared that he felt very proud to have contributed, even if only in a small way, to expanding the trust and friendship between the people of the two countries. When he was Mayor of Seongnam City, he signed a sister city relationship between Seongnam City and Thanh Hoa Province of Vietnam, and actively promoted international exchange activities and official development assistance (ODA) projects.

Immediately after taking office, the President had a phone call with President Luong Cuong, expressing his determination to cooperate and also promoting the sending of a special envoy to Vietnam.

Therefore, the visit of General Secretary To Lam and his wife holds special significance for him. The President believes that the visit will contribute to strengthening political trust between the two countries, while marking an important milestone, opening a new chapter in the Korea-Vietnam relationship.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-va-phu-nhan-len-duong-tham-han-quoc-2430434.html