On the afternoon of October 30 local time, on the occasion of attending the APEC 2025 Summit Week in Gyeongju City (South Korea), President Luong Cuong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended "Vietnam Day" jointly organized by Gyeongsanbuk Province, the Korean New Rural Development Foundation and the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the internationalization of the Korean New Village Movement (Saemaul).
Speaking at the event, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk Province Lee Cheol-woo said that the 20th anniversary of the New Village Movement project with Vietnam is an important milestone in the journey of cooperation and development between the two sides; emphasizing that the ancient capital of Gyeongju is a particularly meaningful place to look back on the past 20 years of cooperation and start a new journey towards a prosperous future.
According to Mr. Lee Cheol-woo, the connection between Gyeongsangbuk Province and Vietnam has a long history that dates back to about 800 years ago when descendants of the Vietnamese Ly Dynasty settled in Bonghwa, and those historical roots continued to be nurtured and developed through the Saemaul Movement, contributing to deepening trust and friendship between the two peoples.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo said that over the past 20 years, Gyeongsangbuk has persistently promoted rural development cooperation with Vietnam based on the spirit of the New Village Movement. From the first pilot village in Thai Nguyen in 2005, the model has expanded to 15 villages, bringing about many practical results such as improving rural infrastructure, popularizing farming techniques and increasing income for people in Vietnam.
Governor Gyeongsangbuk emphasized that cooperation between the two sides has now been expanded to the fields of economy , culture and people-to-people exchange, and with the Saemaul Rural Development Center of Ho Chi Minh City National University as the center, the two sides promote research, human resource training and transfer of community development models.
Mr. Lee Cheol-woo affirmed that Gyeongsangbuk province will continue to accompany Vietnam on the path of development for peace and common prosperity.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Luong Cuong expressed his pleasure to attend the event in an atmosphere of solidarity and friendship in Gyeongju - the leading cultural and tourist center of Korea, which houses a world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.
The President recalled the special historical relationship between the two nations when, from the 12th to 13th centuries, descendants of the Ly dynasty of Vietnam came to settle and contributed to the construction of this land. The Ly Thai To Monument - the founder of the Ly dynasty of Vietnam in the 11th century, located in Bonghwa district, Gyeongsanbuk province, is a testament to the strong cultural and historical ties between the two countries.
The President emphasized that the “Vietnam Day” event is not only an opportunity to introduce the country, people, history and culture of Vietnam to Korean friends, but also affirms the close relationship and mutual understanding - the foundation for promoting sustainable cooperation between the two countries, and the cultural exchange and spiritual harmony become valuable materials to promote close cooperation and strategic connection between the two countries.
Looking back on the more than 30 years of building and developing relations between the two countries, the President said that the Vietnam-Korea relationship has become a special model with many outstanding and comprehensive achievements, especially since the two countries upgraded their relationship to "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" in December 2022.
The President affirmed that the two countries have political trust and share benefits in the development process; Korea is currently Vietnam's leading economic partner; defense and security cooperation continues to deepen; local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries are constantly expanding. Among the outstanding achievements and joint efforts of both countries, there are important contributions from Gyeongju city and Gyeongsanbuk province.
The President highly appreciated the role, potential and strengths of Gyeongju city, famous for thousands of cultural and historical heritages; energy centers, high-tech industries, modern transport infrastructure and being one of the industrial driving forces of Eastern Korea; emphasized the similarities and development aspirations of Gyeongju city and Gyeongsanbuk province with many localities of Vietnam and the two sides can completely become reliable strategic partners on the path of sustainable development, for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
Considering that entering a new era, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea are facing many great opportunities to bring their relationship to a new level, more comprehensive, profound, and effective in terms of politics, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchange, the President believes that the event "Vietnam Day" will open a new page in cooperation between localities of the two countries; and Gyeongju City deserves to become "The City of Friendship Connection - a hub for cultural-tourism-industrial cooperation between Vietnam and the Southeast region of Korea," contributing to strengthening the friendship and development cooperation between regions of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.
On this occasion, President Luong Cuong and Governor Lee Cheol-woo exchanged souvenirs, a version of Vietnam's Dong Son bronze drum and a version of Korea's ancient Silla-era bell.
Along with that, the President and leaders of Gyeongsanbuk province joined in pressing the button to start the symbol of Friendship and Cooperation towards the future./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ngay-viet-nam-mo-ra-trang-moi-ve-hop-tac-giua-cac-dia-phuong-viet-nam-han-quoc-post1073866.vnp
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