The visit takes place at a time when Vietnam – RoK relations are growing strongly across multiple areas, especially after the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This visit affirms the commitment of senior leaders of both countries to continue strengthening their close friendship and comprehensive, effective cooperation.

Since diplomatic relations were established on December 22, 1992, the friendship between Vietnam and the RoK has steadily flourished. Over more than three decades, efforts by generations of leaders and citizens of both countries have yielded many significant achievements.

During Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to the RoK in August 2025, the two sides adopted a joint statement on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, opening a new and promising chapter as each country enters an important stage of development.

President Lee Jae-myung has emphasised that Vietnam is a particularly important partner in the RoK’s relations with Asia. Political trust continues to be strengthened through regular high-level visits and effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Both sides have agreed to further enhance coordination in carrying out the Action Plan for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

In recent years, cooperation between the two legislatures has deepened substantively, with regular meetings, delegation exchanges, and close coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums. These efforts contribute meaningfully to peace, security, and stability in the region and the wider world.

Against this backdrop, Speaker Woo Won-shik’s visit to Vietnam offers an important opportunity to further promote parliamentary diplomacy, an increasingly vital pillar of Vietnam-RoK relations.

Economically, the RoK is one of Vietnam’s top partners. In 2024, two-way trade reached US$81.5 billion, up 7.3% from 2023. As of October 2025, the RoK continues to be Vietnam’s largest foreign investor, accounting for over 23% of all projects and 18% of registered FDI capital, with investments concentrated in key sectors such as manufacturing, high technology, electronics, automobiles, and construction.

In development cooperation, Vietnam is the RoK’s top priority partner for ODA. In 2023, the two sides signed a US$2 billion Economic Development Promotion Fund agreement to support Vietnam in developing transport and urban infrastructure.

Bilateral cooperation also extends across defence, security, science and technology, culture, education, healthcare, and labour. There are currently about 43,000 Vietnamese students studying in the RoK, while Korean language programmes have expanded significantly in Vietnam, with more than 60 universities offering Korean studies - the largest scale in Asia. The two countries also maintain over 100 interlocal cooperation and sister-city relationships.

The Speaker’s visit reaffirms Vietnam’s long-standing policy of valuing and prioritising relations with the RoK. It presents an opportunity for both countries to advance mutually beneficial cooperation in defence, security, economy, and science and technology, while exploring new areas of collaboration befitting their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

RoK National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to visit Vietnam this week

VOV.VN - Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, and his spouse will pay an official visit to Vietnam from November 20 to 22, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.