Message from General Secretary To Lam's State visit to South Korea

(Chinhphu.vn) - According to Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, the State visit to Korea by General Secretary To Lam is an opportunity for Vietnam to convey to Korean friends and the international community its determination and aspiration to build a strong and prosperous country, attracting maximum international resources to serve the development goals in the new era of the nation.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu answers questions from the press during General Secretary To Lam's state visit to South Korea.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu recently gave an interview to the press on the occasion of General Secretary To Lam's state visit to South Korea.

President Lee Jae Myung's first 'State Guest'

Could the Deputy Minister please explain the purpose and significance of General Secretary To Lam 's state visit to South Korea?

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu: At the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will pay a state visit to South Korea from August 10-13, 2025. This will also be General Secretary To Lam's first state visit to South Korea in his new capacity. The fact that South Korea invited General Secretary To Lam to visit as their first "State Guest" shows the importance South Korea places on its relationship with Vietnam and on General Secretary To Lam personally.

This visit takes place at a time when the region and the world are experiencing difficulties and instability in many aspects: politics, security, economics, trade, investment, etc. South Korea and Vietnam are leading partners in many fields such as politics, security and defense, economics, trade, investment, tourism, labor, and people-to-people exchanges. This will be an opportunity for both sides to deepen strategic exchanges, identify directions and measures to develop bilateral relations in a substantive, comprehensive, and effective manner; and at the same time, open up new development directions into important and potential areas of cooperation, especially in science and technology and innovation, thereby bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

The visit also provided an opportunity for Vietnam to convey to its Korean friends and the international community its determination and aspiration to build a prosperous and strong nation, attracting maximum international resources to serve the development goals in the new era of the nation.

In the context that Vietnam is in the process of building and implementing major development orientations for the country, the State visit of General Secretary To Lam further demonstrates the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, proactiveness, active and comprehensive international integration, and is also an important foreign activity to promote the implementation of Resolution No. 59 of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation.

Given the significance and importance mentioned above, I am confident that the State visit to South Korea by General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-level Vietnamese delegation, will be a great success, thereby making a very important contribution to strengthening political trust and elevating substantive cooperation between the two countries.

At the same time, the visit will open up new areas of cooperation such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, including the semiconductor energy sector, cooperation in artificial intelligence, as well as cooperation in sharing experiences and developing the cultural industry, making a practical contribution to the people and business communities of both countries.

30 years of effective and substantive cooperation

Could the Deputy Minister please assess the outstanding achievements in bilateral relations in the recent past and what possibilities and directions the visit is expected to open up for future bilateral relations?

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu: It can be said that after more than 30 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, the relationship between Vietnam and South Korea has become a very special, effective, and substantive model. The framework of the relationship between the two sides has reached the highest level, a comprehensive strategic partnership with a very high level of political trust, due to substantive cooperation in many fields that have brought practical benefits to the people and businesses of both countries.

In terms of politics and diplomacy, Vietnam and South Korea regularly maintain exchanges of delegations, high-level and other contacts, and promote the rotational implementation of cooperation mechanisms, especially in the fields of politics, defense, and security.

Economy, trade, and investment continue to be key pillars of bilateral cooperation. South Korea is currently Vietnam's largest investor and its third largest trading partner. Vietnam is a top priority partner for South Korea in providing development assistance.

Cooperation in culture, education, labor, tourism, and other fields has witnessed significant achievements and continues to innovate both quantitatively and qualitatively.

In the field of science, technology, and innovation, one of the expected new pillars of bilateral relations, the two countries have achieved many encouraging results, including the National Innovation Center Development Support Project, the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) project in Hoa Lac, and the Can Tho Technology Incubator...

Cooperation in the fields of labor and people-to-people exchanges continues to develop, meeting the needs of both sides. We have approximately over 350,000 Vietnamese people in South Korea and more than 200,000 South Koreans in Vietnam, including over 100,000 multicultural families and about 100 localities on both sides that have friendly people-to-people exchanges. Along with this, the strategic exchange and coordination between the two countries in regional and international forums in addressing issues of common regional and international concern has been strengthened and enhanced, contributing to peace, stability, and overall development in the region and the world.

I strongly believe that the results achieved during this visit will be a driving force and a source of inspiration for Vietnam and South Korea to inherit, develop, and elevate the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the building and development of each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/thong-diep-tu-chuyen-tham-cap-nha-nuoc-den-han-quoc-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-10225080916421207.htm