General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and State President To Lam (right) bids farewell to President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung on April 24. (Photo: VNA)
President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung and his spouse paid a four-day (April 21-24) state visit to Viet Nam at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam(CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam and his spouse.
During their stay in Viet Nam, President Lee and his spouse paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, hosted an official welcome ceremony and a state banquet in honour of the Korean guests.
The two leaders co-chaired a joint press conference to announce the outcomes of their talks and witnessed the exchange of 12 cooperation documents between the two countries' ministries and sectors.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam(CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam (R) and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung at the press briefing (Photo: VNA)
As part of the visit, the top leader of Viet Nam and his spouse presided over a special friendship programme at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel to welcome the RoK President and his spouse.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held separate meetings with President Lee. The Vietnamese Prime Minister and the RoK President also co-chaired a roundtable and the Viet Nam – RoK Economic Forum.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (R) and RoK President Lee Jae Myung at their meeting in Hanoi on April 23. (Photo: VNA)
At the talks and meetings, Vietnamese leaders warmly welcomed President Lee, his spouse, and the high-ranking RoK Government delegation on their state visit to Viet Nam. They expressed appreciation for President Lee as the first foreign guest to pay a state visit following Viet Nam’s consolidation of its leadership after the 16th National Assembly election, stressing that the visit vividly demonstrates the strong, effective Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a high level of political trust between the two countries.
The RoK President expressed his delight at revisiting Viet Nam and witnessing its dynamic development firsthand. He congratulated Party General Secretary To Lam on being elected by the 16th National Assembly as State President, and voiced his belief that under the leadership of the CPV, headed by Party General Secretary and State President Lam, Viet Nam will continue to achieve significant accomplishments in socio-economic development.
He affirmed that the bilateral relationship is a special, close one like that between brothers, and pledged that the RoK will remain a reliable partner accompanying Viet Nam in its goal of becoming an upper-middle-income developing country by 2030 and a high-income developed country by 2045.
Building on the effective cooperation achievements in recent years, the leaders of both countries affirmed their willingness to further promote the Viet Nam– RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership towards a future of shared prosperity.
In a friendly and warm atmosphere, the two sides held in-depth discussions on each country’s situation, bilateral ties, and regional and international issues of mutual concern. They emphasised the implementation of a strategic vision on economic connectivity in the new context, striving to achieve a bilateral trade turnover of 150 billion USD by 2030.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s spouse Ngo Phuong Ly and Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s spouse Kim Hae Kyung enjoy a water puppet performance. (Photo: VNA)
In Hanoi, the spouses of the two leaders visited the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology. The RoK First Lady also attended the Korea Culture and Tourism Festival 2026 in Hanoi, jointly organised by the Korea Tourism Organisation in Viet Nam and the Korean Cultural Centre in Viet Nam.
During the visit, on the evening of April 23, the RoK President and his spouse strolled around Hoan Kiem Lake, enjoyed “pho” (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup served with chicken or beef) at a restaurant on Dinh Liet street, tasted Thuy Ta ice cream, and explored the streets of the capital city.
The state visit to Viet Nam by RoK President Lee and his spouse took place at a time when bilateral relations are at their strongest development stage ever, helping usher in a new phase with long-term strategic orientations.
| General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and State President To Lam and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung on April 22 witnessed the exchange of a series of cooperation documents between the two countries' ministries and agencies following their talks. The cooperation documents include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in security protection between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Public Security and the Presidential Security Service of the RoK; and a MoU on digital cooperation and a framework master plan for cooperation in science, technology and innovation between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the RoK’s Ministry of Science and ICT. A MoU on strengthening cooperation in intellectual property was signed between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the Korean Intellectual Property Office, along with another on cooperation in power infrastructure between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the RoK’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. Also in the list are a MoU water resource security cooperation between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the RoK’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and another on cooperation in animal quarantine was signed between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the RoK’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In the cultural sector, the Vietnamese and RoK Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed an MoU on cooperation for the 2026–2030 period, alongside that on underwater cultural heritage cooperation between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Heritage Service. A MoU on cooperation in food security, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical device was also reached between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Health and the RoK’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Meanwhile, Viet Nam National Industry - Energy Group (Petrovietnam) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) signed an MoU on research cooperation in the development of nuclear power plants. Another MoU on financial cooperation for nuclear power projects between Petrovietnam, KEPCO, the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (KSURE) was also inked. Economic and trade cooperation has remained the main pillar of Viet Nam-RoK relations. Two-way trade reached 89.5 billion USD in 2025, up 9.6% from 2024, and 26.9 billion USD in the first three months of 2026, an increase of 30% year-on-year. |
Source: VNA
