General Secretary To Lam and his wife arrive in Seoul, South Korea.

This afternoon, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, arrived in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to begin their state visit to the country.

General Secretary To Lam was the first state guest to visit South Korea after President Lee Jae Myung took office.

Welcoming General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the Vietnamese delegation, at Seongnam military airport, on the Korean side were: Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun; Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Young Sam and his wife; and the Commander of Seongnam military airport.

On the Vietnamese side were the Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea, Vu Ho; staff and employees of the Embassy; and members of the Vietnamese community in South Korea.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun greeted the General Secretary and his wife at the foot of the airplane's stairs.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife walked on the red carpet with an honor guard, greeting Korean officials, embassy staff, and the Vietnamese community in Korea with warm welcomes.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife arrive in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Van Hieu

Prior to the visit, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Vu Ho stated that the visit was a significant event in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. This was the first time that the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam had been invited as a state guest by the South Korean government shortly after assuming power. President Lee Jae Myung personally directed the reception of the high-level Vietnamese delegation, instructing ministries and agencies to provide maximum support to ensure the visit's success.

The visit will encompass a wide range of diverse and enriching activities, with strategic highlights in politics, economic and trade cooperation, culture and arts, and people-to-people exchanges. These exchanges will be highly strategic, shaping the continued development of Vietnam-Korea relations in the emerging new era in both Vietnam and Korea.

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Moreover, this visit is expected to pave the way for the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and South Korea to grow in both quantity and quality.

The ambassador stated that hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and Koreans are currently residing in both countries. This is a strategic resource for implementing the resolutions and commitments of the leaders of both countries. General Secretary To Lam's visit is a great source of encouragement for the Vietnamese community in South Korea, and symbolizes the Party and State's concern for overseas Vietnamese...

The South Korean Foreign Minister and children welcome the General Secretary and his wife. Photo: Van Hieu.

South Korea continues to be Vietnam's number one investment partner; number two source of tourists; number two provider of ODA; number three trading partner; and number three source of labor. In 2024, bilateral trade reached US$81.5 billion, an increase of 7.3% compared to the previous year.

Specifically, exports to South Korea reached $25.6 billion, an increase of 9.1%; imports from South Korea reached $55.9 billion, an increase of 6.5%; and the trade deficit with South Korea was $30.3 billion.

Bilateral cooperation mechanisms continue to be maintained.

Regarding labor cooperation, both sides signed an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in sending and receiving Vietnamese workers to work in South Korea under the Korean Employment Permit System (EPS) for foreign workers in June 2023, valid for two years from the date of signing.

In 2024, South Korea continued to be Vietnam's third largest overseas labor market. Approximately 7,900 EPS workers were accepted by South Korea, bringing the total number of Vietnamese workers in South Korea to about 88,000 (including EPS workers, skilled workers, and seasonal workers).

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In 2024, 4.6 million South Koreans visited Vietnam, and 600,000 Vietnamese visited South Korea. This marks the first time that the number of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries has exceeded 5 million. In the first quarter of 2025, South Korea is Vietnam's second largest source market for tourists, with 1.26 million visitors, a 2.2% increase compared to the same period in 2024, accounting for 21% of the total number of foreign tourists to Vietnam.

In 2024, the total number of Vietnamese people living and working in South Korea was approximately 320,000, an increase of 50,000 compared to 2023.

This includes nearly 100,000 students, over 100,000 other workers, and over 40,000 women who married Korean men (not including those who have acquired Korean citizenship); the remainder are under investment cooperation, family visits, or short-term work programs. The descendants of the Ly Hoa Son and Ly Tinh Thien families are estimated at around 1,000.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-va-phu-nhan-den-seoul-han-quoc-2430520.html