The Prime Minister's visit aims to open a new page for Vietnam-Korea relations.

The upcoming official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the Republic of Korea is the first high-level visit after the two countries agreed to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022. Therefore, this event has many important meanings, opening a new page for the Vietnam-Korea relationship, which has been in operation for more than 30 years and is on the rise. This is the comment of Vietnamese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Vu Ho in an interview with a VNA reporter in Seoul.

- Could you please tell us what the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Korea is for the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership?

Ambassador Vu Ho: From June 30 to July 3, 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will pay an official visit to South Korea. Visits by high-ranking leaders of one country to another often carry many messages, contain many meanings, and are also the beginning of many new processes. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to South Korea from June 30 to July 3, 2024 is also very special.

This is the first high-level visit after the two countries agreed to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022. Therefore, this event has many important meanings, opening a new page for the Vietnam-Korea relationship, which has been in operation for more than 30 years and is on the rise.

It can be seen that the results of the visit are a driving force for the bilateral relationship, creating a premise for new, higher, deeper and broader developments in the following years.

In fact, since the upgrade of relations in December 2022, all levels of sectors, localities, businesses and people have been very active and proactive in expanding exchanges and cooperation. With the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the parties will have the opportunity to look back, evaluate and propose the next steps in the overall Vietnam-Korea relationship.

In addition, the success of this official visit also sends a message to the regional and international community about the two countries' determination to increase exchanges, promote cooperation, and enhance connectivity between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development of the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Obviously, with the above meanings, many expectations are set for this visit. That is, the trust between the two countries is raised to a new level, new trade opportunities are opened between the two countries, and people will also have more opportunities to exchange and learn from each other. At the same time, with rich and diverse activities organized in Korea, this visit is also an opportunity for leaders at all levels to listen to the thoughts and aspirations of the community as well as from Korean friends with Vietnam.

- Could the Ambassador tell us the main agenda of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Korea?

Ambassador Vu Ho: Preparations for the visit are being urgently completed by all parties, and many events and activities are being carefully considered. These include the fields of politics-security, economics-trade, people-to-people exchange, labor cooperation, cultural promotion, tourism cooperation, and experience exchange and mutual learning.

Obviously, the above activities all demonstrate the priorities in the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. However, in general, it can be said that the priorities of this visit will be a step to further strengthen trust between the two countries, open up new opportunities for businesses on both sides and further deepen the connection between the two peoples.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho answers questions from VNA reporters. (Photo: VNA)

In terms of politics and security, in less than 2 years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, there have been 6 mutual visits between high-ranking leaders of the two countries, 7 ministerial-level delegations and more than 80 delegations from different localities of the two countries. These activities have helped to enhance mutual understanding and, more importantly, the trust between the two countries has been significantly enhanced.

Economic cooperation, the main pillar in the bilateral relationship, is also a bright spot in Vietnam's international economic cooperation. After 30 years of trade, trade turnover increased from 500 million USD in 1992 to 87 billion USD in 2022 and is heading towards the 100 billion USD mark. The total accumulated direct investment from Korea to Vietnam still maintains the number one position, reaching over 87 billion USD.

People-to-people exchanges have basically recovered after COVID-19. Currently, more than 230,000 Vietnamese people are living, working and studying in Korea. In 2023, nearly 11,000 Vietnamese workers came to Korea and it is expected that about 13,000 Vietnamese workers will continue to participate in this market in 2024.

On the other hand, in 2023, 4 million Korean tourists visited Vietnam and this number is expected to increase to 4.5 million in 2024. These figures show the great interest from Korea in Vietnam, one of the hottest markets in the region. At the same time, this is also an indicator of the trust that the people and businesses of the two countries have in each other.

- Culture and people are two important elements to build a sustainable diplomatic relationship. How does the Ambassador assess the prospects of cooperation between Vietnam and Korea in this field?

Ambassador Vu Ho: People are always at the center of all relations between nations. Likewise, people hold a special place in Vietnam-Korea relations in the past, present and future.

The first Vietnamese people set foot in Korea 1,000 years ago. They participated in building and defending their new country and became an inseparable part of the Korean community.

Nowadays, the Vietnamese community in Korea has also grown, present on every street, participating in every area of ​​life in the locality. It can be said that the connection between the people of the two countries is increasingly strong and deep, numbers such as more than 200,000 Vietnamese people living and studying in Korea, more than 80,000 people married to locals say it all.

However, it must be recognized that relationships cannot last long without proper nurturing and care. To “keep the fire burning”, some fundamental, long-term measures may be needed.

First of all, the identity, the Vietnamese identity needs to be promoted and expanded in Korea. Besides festivals, the rich and colorful community activities, we need to aim to build a community based on roots, based on culture, regularly looking towards the homeland while still contributing to our second homeland.

Next is the environment, a favorable learning, living and business environment will help the trees to sprout and grow. To do this, we need the support of both the Korean and Vietnamese systems. Meeting, exchanging and coordinating regularly will create “nursery gardens” for Vietnamese communities, the Vietnamese spirit will penetrate deeply into Korean society.

Tempest - the first Korean music group to have a Vietnamese member, Hanbin (real name Ngo Ngoc Hung) performed at Dream Concert 2023 in Busan. (Photo: Vietnam+)

Third is the future. If developing relationships is the “highway”, then education will be the path. With proper attention and investment in education, future generations will always progress on the chosen paths while still preserving their identity, the Vietnamese identity.

With such awareness, the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea always strives to be a beacon to convey trust, for Vietnamese people to look towards. This flame at sea was formed 30 years ago and is now being strongly lit with the development in the relationship between the two nations.

- Thank you very much, Ambassador!

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chuyen-tham-cua-thu-tuong-huong-toi-mo-ra-trang-moi-cho-quan-he-viet-han-post816561.html