The April 21-24 visit, made at the invitation of Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, comes at a time when bilateral relations are at their strongest level to date, following the upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.

According to Ambassador Ho, the trip holds not only diplomatic significance but also symbolic weight, as President Lee becomes the first foreign head of state to visit Vietnam after the country consolidated its senior leadership. The move underscores the RoK’s high regard for Vietnam and reflects growing political trust as well as the strategic priority both sides attach to the relationship.

Over more than three decades of diplomatic ties, Vietnam–RoK cooperation has expanded rapidly, particularly in the economic sphere. The RoK is currently Vietnam’s largest foreign investor, with total registered capital exceeding US$90 billion, and one of its leading trading partners, with bilateral trade estimated at around US$88 billion in 2025. These figures provide a solid foundation for the partnership to move into a new phase focused on quality and depth.

The Ambassador told the media that the upcoming visit is expected to serve as a strategic bridge aligning development visions in the context of rapidly evolving regional economic and geopolitical dynamics. Cooperation is anticipated to shift from expansion in scale to enhancement in quality, with priority areas including digital transformation, semiconductors, clean energy, and smart infrastructure.

A key focus will be promoting more balanced and sustainable trade, aiming to raise bilateral trade value to US$100 billion in the near term and US$150 billion by 2030. Both sides also seek to strengthen linkages in strategic supply chains, particularly in high-tech sectors such as data, batteries, artificial intelligence, and energy.

Science and technology cooperation is set to become a central driver in the next phase. Expanding joint research and development, technology transfer, and innovation capacity will not only enhance Vietnam’s domestic capabilities but also create new opportunities for Korean enterprises in high value-added sectors.

Beyond economic pillars, people-to-people exchanges remain a long-term foundation of bilateral relations. Ambassador Ho said around 350,000 Vietnamese are currently living, studying, and working in the RoK, alongside a large Korean community in Vietnam, forming a deeply interconnected social network.

As cooperation increasingly shifts toward high-tech industries, human capital, particularly a skilled workforce, is expected to play a decisive role, he pointed out.

Education and training collaboration in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy, and logistics is therefore emerging as a new strategic pillar. Cultural exchanges will continue to serve as a “soft bridge,” strengthening mutual understanding, trust, and connectivity between the two peoples.

At the regional level, the diplomat said, Vietnam and the RoK share common interests in maintaining a peaceful, stable, and rules-based Indo-Pacific, while supporting ASEAN centrality. Enhanced coordination within multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is set to enable both countries to contribute more actively to regional and global issues.

More importantly, Vietnam and the RoK can work together to help shape an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture that not only serves their national interests but also contributes to broader regional stability and shared prosperity.

RoK President to make state visit to Vietnam

VOV.VN - President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung and his spouse will pay a state visit to Vietnam from April 21-24.