This is the first official visit of a high-ranking Vietnamese leader to the RoK since the two countries elevated their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022. It is also the first visit to the RoK by a Vietnamese Prime Minister over the past five years, and the first by Chinh as the PM of Vietnam.

The visit takes place at a time when the Vietnam-RoK ties are developing strongly, with political trust increasingly strengthened and exchanges of delegations at all levels held regularly. The two countries cooperate closely and support each other in regional and international forums.

The RoK continues to be a leading economic partner of and the largest investor in Vietnam with 86 billion USD in investment as of April 2024. The Northeast Asian economic power is also the second largest partner in ODA cooperation of Vietnam, the third largest partner in terms of labour and trade, and the largest source of tourists to Vietnam in 2023.

Bilateral cooperation in other areas, including culture, education, labour, healthcare, people-to-people exchange and local collaboration has been promoted. The Vietnamese community in the RoK now numbers more than 270,000.

PM Chinh’s visit will focus on intensifying cooperation in traditional fields such as politics, national defence, security, economy, labour, culture, tourism, science and technology, healthcare, education, as well as emerging areas in which the RoK has strength and Vietnam has demand like semi-conductor, supporting industry, digital and green transition, circular economy, climate change.

The PM will also seek the RoK’s continued support for the Vietnamese community in the RoK and enhance bilateral collaboration in issues of regional and international concerns./.