Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran and a Vietnamese delegation left Hanoi on June 30 morning for an official visit to the Republic of Korea from June 30-July 3 at the invitation of RoK Prime Minister Han Duck Soo and his spouse, the Vietnam News Agency has reported.

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 Mr. 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  in investment as of April 2024. The Northeast Asian economic power is also Vietnam’s  second largest ODA donor,  third largest partner in terms of labor and trade, and largest source of tourists in 2023.

Bilateral cooperation in other areas, including culture, education, labor, 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 defense, security, economy, labor, 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.