The visit follows the State visit to the RoK by Party General Secretary To Lam in August 2025. Ahead of the visit, RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam said the meeting between the two leaders carries significant meaning, as both leaders put national interests and improving people’s living standards first and share a strong aspiration for national development.

Science and technology seen as as new pillar

A key point shaping the future of Vietnam-RoK relations is the strong shift in the economic cooperation model. Moving beyond a focus on labour-intensive industries, the two countries are working together to build a future industrial ecosystem and share responsibility for ensuring global supply chain stability.

Both sides are making every effort towards the target of US$150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 through breakthroughs in key sectors.

Within this direction, science and technology, innovation and digital transformation have been identified as a “new pillar”. According to Ambassador Choi Youngsam,  the RoK aims to become a firm partner in Vietnam’s digital transformation and green growth. Large-scale infrastructure projects under discussion include high-speed rail development, smart cities, and renewable energy and LNG projects in response to climate change.

High-tech cooperation is seen in key projects such as the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) in Hoa Lac, which is moving towards the second phase, the National Innovation Center (NIC), the Can Tho Technology Incubator, and Samsung’s largest R&D centre in Southeast Asia in Hanoi.

Priority areas include semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology and advanced materials. Logistics cooperation is also opening up new space, with a focus on linking the Busan Port ecosystem with next-generation seaport projects in Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, An Giang and Ca Mau.

Professor Choe Won Gi, Director of the ASEAN–India Research Center at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said Vietnam needs to work with the RoK to establish a new-generation technology cooperation platform, not limited to consumer products. Human resource training and technology transfer will be key for both countries to move up the global value chain. The combination of the RoK’s technology and capital with Vietnam’s skilled workforce and dynamic growth potential will create strong synergy internationally.

Enhancing people-to-people exchanges

In a policy speech at Yonsei University during his State visit to the RoK in August 2025, Party General Secretary To Lam stressed that the RoK follows a “humanomics” philosophy, placing people at the centre, combining innovation with sustainable, comprehensive and inclusive development. Vietnam also identifies people as the centre, the subject, the most important resource and driving force, and the goal of development.

More than 350,000 Vietnamese in the RoK, nearly 200,000 Koreans in Vietnam, and over 100,000 multicultural families link the two countries. Two-way tourism between the two countries reaches about 5 million visits each year.

This exchange space has become more modern and diverse in the digital era. Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Vu Ho said cooperation potential in digital content between the two countries is very large, with young people engaging flexibly and sustainably through films, music, online games and webtoons. In sports, ties are further strengthened through contributions by Korean experts, including coaches such as Park Hang Seo and Kim Sang Sik, as well as Vietnam’s men’s U23 team winning third place at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

This exchange space has become more modern and diverse in the digital era. Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Vu Ho said cooperation potential in digital content between the two countries is very large, with young people engaging flexibly and sustainably through films, music, online games and webtoons. In sports, ties are further strengthened through contributions by Korean experts, including coaches such as Park Hang Seo and Kim Sang Sik, as well as Vietnam’s men’s U23 team winning third place at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

More than 350,000 Vietnamese in the RoK, nearly 200,000 Koreans in Vietnam, and more than 100,000 multicultural families connect the two countries. Annual two-way tourism reaches about 5 million visits.

This exchange space is becoming more diverse in the digital era. Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho said cooperation potential in digital content is very large, with young people from both countries engaging through films, music, online games and webtoons. In sports, ties are further strengthened through contributions by Korean experts, including coaches such as Park Hang Seo and Kim Sang Sik, as well as Vietnam’s men’s U23 team winning third place at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

In addition to bilateral relations, the visit will also contribute to strengthening cooperation at international forums. Professor Choe Won Gi said Vietnam is a key partner in Korea’s Southeast Asia policy, particularly within the framework of the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI).

At high-level meetings, leaders of both countries have reaffirmed strong mutual support at multilateral forums. This cooperation will be reflected in coordination for APEC 2025 in the RoK and APEC 2027 in Phu Quoc, as well as in efforts to promote the Mekong-RoK Summit.

With the comprehensive strategic partnership, the State visit by President Lee Jae Myung will open a new phase with long-term strategic directions in bilateral relations. Ambassador Vu Ho said the visit carries not only political and diplomatic significance but also helps connect visions for the next stage and shape a long-term cooperation framework. “The new phase can be summed up as higher trust, deeper cooperation and stronger ties,” he said.

Ambassador Choi Youngsam expressed confidence that the visit will become a significant milestone in the 34-year diplomatic relations between the two countries, marking the beginning of a strategic step forward in the context of global changes.

The visit, taking place shortly after Vietnam completes its top leadership structure in early April 2026, is expected to open a promising outlook for Vietnam-RoK relations and serve as a strong and stable driving force for long-term development based on firm trust between senior leaders of the two countries.

With the comprehensive strategic partnership, the State visit by President Lee Jae Myung opens a new phase with long-term strategic directions in bilateral relations. Ambassador Vu Ho said the visit carries not only political and diplomatic significance but also helps connect visions for the next stage and shape a long-term cooperation framework. “The new phase can be summed up as higher trust, deeper cooperation and stronger ties,” he said.

Ambassador Choi Youngsam expressed confidence that the visit will become a significant milestone in the 34-year diplomatic relations between the two countries, marking the beginning of a strategic step forward in the context of global changes.

The visit by RoK President Lee Jae Myung, as the first head of state to pay a State visit to Vietnam following the completion of Vietnam’s top leadership structure in early April 2026, is expected to open a bright prospect for Vietnam-RoK relations, providing a strong and stable driving force for the relationship to develop steadily and over the long term on the basis of firm trust between the two countries’ senior leaders.

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.

Vietnam-RoK tourism ties deepen on stronger connectivity, market growth

VOV.VN - Korea Travel Mart 2026 in Hanoi provides a strategic networking platform, promotes visitor exchanges and deepens tourism cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) amid strong growth and new visa policies.