Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to RoK is comprehensive in scope and yields substantive results: FM
WVR - On July 3, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son granted an interview regarding the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Republic of Korea (RoK) from June 30 to July 3, 2024, at the invitation of RoK Prime Minister Han Duck Soo.
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| On July 3, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son granted an interview regarding the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Republic of Korea (RoK) from June 30 to July 3, 2024. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
With the regards to the significance and activities of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation during the visit to RoK, Foreign Minister Son stressed that this is the first visit by a high-ranking Vietnamese leader since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (in December 2022), and it is also Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's first visit to RoK in his capacity as the Head of the Government.
In summary, the visit held "important significance, a rich program, extensive content, and substantive results." The visit was a great success, achieving the set objectives, and marked a practical implementation of the guideline on external relations set by the 13th National Party Congress and in concretising the plan of actions to implement the Vietnam-RoK comprehensive strategic partnership, the Foreign Minister noted.
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| The communities of nearly 300,000 Vietnamese citizens in RoK further strengthen the comprehensive and substantive cooperative relationship between the two countries. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
The visit was a significant milestone, reflecting the high-level, well-developed relationship between the two countries, Foreign Minister Son said. During the visit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a dense and diverse schedule, with 34 activities involving politicians, economists, experts, scientists, friendship organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with RoK Prime Minister Han Duck Soo and, together with Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the ministries and sectors of the two countries. He also met with President Yoon Suk Yeol and Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won Shik. Additionally, he attended and delivered speeches at three forums on economics, labor, and tourism-culture, and at two seminars with leading RoK economic organizations and experts and scientists in the fields of semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI).
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh' and RoK Prime Minister Han Duck Soo. (Photo: Tuian Anh) |
The Prime Minister also delivered a policy speech at Seoul National University, visited Samsung's semiconductor complex, met with leaders of major RoK corporations, visited the Vietnamese Embassy, met with representatives of Vietnamese community and visited multicultural Vietnamese-Korean families.
During the visit, the ministers and local leaders in the delegation also had dozens of meetings and working sessions with their counterparts. These meetings and exchanges with the RoK side took place in an atmosphere of sincerity, trust, substance, and mutual understanding.
Foreign Minister Son highlighted outstanding outcomes of the Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to RoK. According to the Foreign Minister, the outcomes are evident in five main aspects:
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Han Duck Soo witnessed the handing over of a Memorandum of Understanding on the orientation of building an Action Plan to implement the bilateral trade target of 150 billion USD between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Firstly, the visit achieved many significant and substantive results, including the agreement between the leaders of the two countries to issue a joint press statement. This statement contained eight major points highlighting the progress in Vietnam-RoK cooperation since upgrading to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022, and specific cooperative efforts to promote substantial and effective development in areas such as political-diplomatic relations, trade, investment, science and technology, culture, tourism, labor, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as new cooperation areas.
The ministries, sectors, and businesses of the two countries signed 40 cooperation documents in various fields, including digital transformation, renewable energy, green transition, climate change, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises, and cultural and tourism cooperation.
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| The Prime Minister had a working lunch with Korean semiconductor and artificial intelligence experts and scientists. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Secondly, the visit deepened political trust and strengthened the positive personal relationships between the high-ranking leaders of the two countries. The leaders of both countries reaffirmed their determination to implement high-level agreements, aiming to develop the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a substantial, effective, and long-term manner.
RoK leaders emphasized that the many similarities between the two countries in terms of history and culture, as well as their complementary economies and human resources, create favorable conditions for natural, close, and mutually beneficial connections. The communities of nearly 300,000 Vietnamese citizens in RoK and 200,000 RoK citizens in Vietnam, including 90,000 multicultural Vietnamese-Korean families, further strengthen the comprehensive and substantive cooperative relationship between the two countries.
RoK leaders affirmed that Vietnam is a focal point in the implementation of RoK's foreign policies in the region, including the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI). Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam supports RoK's policies and development goals, including the "Global Pivotal State" policy.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Thirdly, the visit achieved substantial results, especially in the fields of economic, trade, and investment cooperation, contributing to the implementation of the content in the June 2023 Action Program.
Both sides affirmed that economic cooperation is one of the most important pillars in the bilateral relationship. They agreed to implement specific measures to achieve the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion by 2025 and towards $150 billion by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable manner. They also agreed to expedite procedures to open each other's markets for Vietnamese pomelos and RoK melons by 2024.
RoK leaders affirmed that they would continue to consider Vietnam a strategic partner in development cooperation (ODA) and support the enhancement of Vietnamese enterprises' capabilities to participate more deeply in the supply chains of South Korean businesses. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in promoting the construction of a stable core mineral supply chain to ensure economic security for both countries.
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| Vietnam-RoK Business Forum in Seoul, on July 1, 2024. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
At the Vietnam- RoK Business Forum and the seminar with leading RoK economic organizations on energy and finance, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared the current situation and development orientation of Vietnam's economy. He called on RoK businesses to continue expanding their investments in Vietnam and witnessed the signing of 23 cooperation documents between businesses and localities of the two countries. These documents cover cooperation in trade, investment, healthcare, education, semiconductors, energy, and the enhancement of cooperation between Vietnamese localities and RoK enterprises.
RoK businesses highly appreciate the safe and stable investment environment in Vietnam, recognizing the vast potential for cooperation. They expressed gratitude for the Vietnamese government's efforts to address difficulties and create favorable conditions for businesses to invest in Vietnam for the long term. RoK companies are interested in and eager to invest in various sectors, including supporting industries, digital transformation, green economy, semiconductors, environmentally friendly energy, biotechnology, 5G networks, and smart cities.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Speaker of the Korean National Assembly Woo Won Sik. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Fourthly, through the visit, both sides promoted cooperation in human resources, labour, culture, and tourism. They affirmed that labour cooperation brings benefits to both sides. Vietnamese workers are diligent, skilled, and creative, increasingly contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of both countries. RoK committed to supporting Vietnam in training workers in the industrial sector and creating a favorable environment for Vietnamese workers to live and work stably and comfortably in RoK.
Both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in culture, tourism, and education, aiming for 5 million people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. RoK leaders welcomed and committed to supporting the opening of the Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan in 2024 and the establishment of the Vietnam Cultural Center in RoK. RoK will share its experience and support Vietnam in developing its cultural industry. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed simplifying visa procedures and moving towards visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens entering RoK to promote tourism cooperation between the two countries. He also called for increased cooperation between the localities of the two countries and the effective implementation of the "Meet Korea" mechanism in various localities. He requested the RoK Government to continue supporting and creating more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live and settle in RoK for the long term.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the family of Mr. Jang Yeong Gak and Mrs. Vu Thai Linh - a Vietnamese-Korean multicultural family in Osan city, Gyeonggi province. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Fifthly, the visit opened up many opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in new areas such as innovation, high technology, renewable energy, digital transformation, green transition, climate change response, semiconductors, and AI.
RoK leaders expressed a desire for the two sides to cooperate and achieve substantial results in these fields. They agreed to explore mechanisms for discussing directions and specific projects that can be implemented in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and human resource training in the field of innovation. RoK committed to supporting Vietnam with USD 30 million over four years to implement research and development (R&D) projects and continue the second phase of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) project.
During the visit, RoK affirmed its support for Vietnam in successfully organizing the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit in April 2025, the Foreign Minister added.
