Vietnam-Korea relations towards sustainable development in the new era

Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho gives an interview to a VNA reporter in Korea. (Photo: Truong Giang/VNA)

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and his wife will pay a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.

On this occasion, VNA reporter in Korea interviewed Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho about the significance of the visit and prospects for Vietnam-Korea relations.

Here is the content of the interview.

- Could you please tell us about the significance and importance of the State visit to Korea by General Secretary To Lam and his wife?

Ambassador Vu Ho: At the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, paid a State visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13, 2025.

General Secretary To Lam is the first foreign guest to visit South Korea after President Lee Jae Myung took office. In general, this event is a harmonious combination of appropriateness, rationality and timeliness.

Speaking of love, exactly 8 centuries ago, Ly Long Tuong, a prince of the Ly Dynasty, set foot in Korea, opening the way for Vietnam-Korea exchange. Over the years, through many ups and downs, this relationship reached its peak. Three years ago, the two countries became Comprehensive Strategic Partners, a milestone in the history of relations between the two nations.

In theory, sincere dialogue, frank exchange, and in-depth discussion are the basic characteristics of a comprehensive strategic partnership. This visit clearly reflects the maturity of the Vietnam-Korea relationship, which has been nurtured by the leaders of the two countries over three decades. The exchanges and commitments during this visit, in addition to the numbers, will also be commitments to the sustainable development of the Vietnam-Korea comprehensive strategic partnership.

The world and the region in general, and Vietnam and Korea in particular, are entering a new stage of development. Opportunities and challenges, advantages and difficulties, this is the right time for leaders of both sides to jointly convey the message of determination to cooperate closely and comprehensively for peace, stability and sustainable development of the region as well as the world.

- Could you please tell us what outstanding activities will take place during this visit?

Ambassador Vu Ho: First of all, we must realize that this visit itself is a prominent event in the bilateral relations. This is the first time that the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam has been invited by the Korean government as a state guest immediately after taking power.

President Lee Jae Myung personally directed the reception of the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation, requesting ministries and branches to respond and provide maximum support for the success of the visit.

It can be predicted that this visit will include many diverse and rich activities with strategic highlights on politics, economic-trade cooperation, culture and arts, and people-to-people exchanges. The exchanges will be of strategic significance, shaping the Vietnam-Korea relationship to continue to develop in the new era taking shape in both Vietnam and Korea.

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

Not only that, this visit is also expected to open up a new face for the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, growing in both quantity and quality.

Along with the remarkable developments in relations, people-to-people and cultural exchanges are also expanding and deepening. To date, there are about 600,000 Vietnamese and Koreans residing in Korea and Vietnam. This is the strategic resource to implement the determination and commitments of the leaders of the two countries.

This visit by General Secretary To Lam will be a great source of encouragement for the Vietnamese community in Korea, a symbol of the care of the Vietnamese Party and State for overseas Vietnamese in general and in Korea in particular.

- After Vietnam and South Korea establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022, how should the content of this relationship be defined and promoted to suit the new situation?

Ambassador Vu Ho: We can see that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is the highest expression of trust that countries can give each other. The Vietnam-Korea relationship has gone through more than 30 years, achieving many achievements. This is the moment for the two countries to jointly define strategic steps, thereby entering a new stage of development in both quantity and quality.

Take economic and trade cooperation as an example. South Korea is now the largest investor in Vietnam with a cumulative capital of 92 billion USD, and is the third largest trading partner with a two-way trade turnover of over 90 billion USD and is aiming for 100 billion USD. For South Korea, Vietnam is also the third largest trading partner, after China and the US.

Working at a Korean-owned enterprise in Vietnam. (Source: VNA)

However, in the current context, innovation is still an urgent need. The above figures are impressive, but there is still a need for qualitative change. In addition to trade and investment, the two countries need to expand exchanges and deepen cooperation in new, key areas. These areas include investment and technology transfer, infrastructure and financial cooperation, human resource training and innovation, supply chain linkages and global integration, institutions and policies, etc.

- Culture is always the spiritual foundation of society, the Vietnamese community in Korea is growing. How does the Ambassador assess the potential for development and cultural exchange and cooperation between Vietnam and Korea in the coming time?

Ambassador Vu Ho: "Culture is the spiritual foundation, the strong bond between nations in international relations." This saying is extremely correct when applied to the Vietnam-Korea relationship, the two countries have had cultural exchanges both from the beginning and the present. The common cultural values of the two countries are deeply and clearly reflected in the similarities that can be found in all aspects of social life in each country.

To nurture and promote cultural and artistic exchanges and cooperation, we should start from the understanding that “connecting souls is connecting the future.” From there, the two sides should build cultural and artistic exchange programs such as organizing annual Vietnam-Korea cultural festivals and supporting traditional and modern art troupes to exchange and perform.

In this process, we should not ignore important factors such as traditional education, preserving the mother tongue, taking advantage of multilingual content on digital platforms, etc., thereby promoting cultural exchange while preserving and fostering spiritual values for the people of the two countries.

- How does the Ambassador evaluate the potential for digital content exchange between the two countries?

Ambassador Vu Ho: I think the potential for cooperation and exchange in the field of digital content between Vietnam and Korea is very potential and needs to be exploited more strongly.

Vietnam and Korea both have a high rate of young people using the Internet and are active on digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc. Cooperation in the field of digital content, including movies, music, video games, digital comics, short videos and online education platforms, will help the two countries exchange culture in a flexible, modern and sustainable way.

- Thank you very much, Ambassador./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/quan-he-viet-nam-han-quoc-huong-toi-phat-trien-ben-vung-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-post1054249.vnp