In a spirit of friendship, sincerity, and cooperation, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo welcomed the first official visit to South Korea by a high-ranking Vietnamese leader since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He emphasized the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit amid the positive and substantive development of bilateral relations across all fields.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo affirmed that Vietnam is a key partner in implementing South Korea’s foreign policies in the region, including the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI). He assessed Vietnam as South Korea’s largest partner in development cooperation, the third-largest trade partner, and the top investment destination within ASEAN.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his gratitude for the cordial, respectful, and thoughtful reception that Prime Minister Han Duck Soo and the South Korean government afforded the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. He conveyed his delight at South Korea’s remarkable developmental achievements, which resulted in the “Miracle on the Han River.”
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh respectfully conveyed greetings from General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other Vietnamese leaders to Prime Minister Han Duck Soo. He affirmed Vietnam’s support for South Korea’s policies and development goals, including the “Global Pivotal State” strategy, and its desire to foster a substantive, effective, and long-lasting Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with South Korea.
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During the talks, the two leaders reviewed the substantial outcomes and progress in bilateral relations since the upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022. They also engaged in in-depth discussions about major orientations and specific measures to promote a stronger and more substantive partnership.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highlighted eight areas of progress since the relationship upgrade, including political trust, trade, investment, tourism, people-to-people exchange, science and technology cooperation, labor, and local cooperation. He also proposed five priorities for cooperation in the coming time, requesting Prime Minister Han Duck Soo’s attention and guidance.
The two sides agreed to closely cooperate in promoting mutual visits and high-level contacts across all channels, including those of the Party, State, Government, and National Assembly, as well as people-to-people exchanges. This will further enhance political trust and mutual understanding, providing a foundation for promoting and expanding bilateral cooperation in all fields. They also agreed to increase substantive cooperation in defense and security, coordinating the implementation of agreements between the two countries, particularly the “Action Program for the Implementation of the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
Both sides concurred that the economy is an important pillar of bilateral cooperation. They affirmed the need for close coordination in implementing substantive measures to achieve the goal of raising bilateral trade to 100 billion USD by 2025, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of signing the Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA), and aiming for 150 billion USD by 2030, in a balanced and sustainable manner.
The two countries also agreed to direct their respective ministries and agencies to expedite procedures to announce the opening of the market for Vietnamese pomelos and Korean melons in 2024.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo stated that creating favorable investment conditions is essential for sustainable trade and expanded investment, as well as for enhancing cooperation in future industries and startups between small and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries.
The South Korean Prime Minister requested Vietnam’s active support in resolving difficulties faced by Korean businesses in Vietnam. He affirmed that South Korea would expand its support for Vietnamese enterprises to participate more deeply in the production supply chain led by Korean businesses in Vietnam. He also proposed strengthening cooperation in promoting investment by Korean businesses to build a stable core mineral supply chain.
Emphasizing that South Korea continues to consider Vietnam a crucial strategic partner in development cooperation, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo stated that South Korea prioritizes supporting Vietnam in training human resources in the industrial field through non-refundable aid from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
South Korea also committed to further expanding the scale of non-refundable aid in areas such as public administration development, e-government, education, research and development. It will continue to increase the quota for accepting Vietnamese workers, and support the second phase of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) project.
Expressing his gratitude for Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s invitation to visit Vietnam and attend the P4G Summit in April 2025, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo affirmed that South Korea would support Vietnam in successfully organizing this event.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested that South Korea further open its market to Vietnam’s strength products, such as processed food, agricultural and aquatic products, and seasonal fruits.
He also suggested that South Korea encourage Korean businesses to expand their investments in Vietnam, especially in areas like liquefied natural gas (LNG), the digital economy, green economy, circular economy, semiconductors, renewable energy, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence. He further proposed strengthening the establishment of research and development centers in Vietnam.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo expressed his appreciation to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for twice hosting dialogues with Korean businesses, which helped resolve difficulties and create favorable conditions for Korean enterprises doing business and investing in Vietnam.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in culture, tourism, education, and people-to-people exchanges. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the South Korean government’s support in soon opening the Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan in 2024 and establishing the “Vietnam Cultural Center in Korea.” He also proposed simplifying visa procedures and eventually exempting visas for Vietnamese citizens entering South Korea to promote tourism cooperation between the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Han Duck Soo witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation documents between ministries, sectors, and agencies of the two countries – Source: VGP
The two sides also agreed to provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in South Korea. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested that the South Korean government continue to support and create more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live and work in South Korea for the long term.
During the talks, the two Prime Ministers exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual interest. They agreed to closely cooperate in multilateral regional and international mechanisms, such as the United Nations and ASEAN.
The two leaders shared a common vision of ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation, and overflight in the South China Sea. They emphasized support for resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed Vietnam’s consistent support for denuclearization, dialogue, peace, stability, cooperation, and development on the Korean Peninsula.
Immediately after the talks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Han Duck Soo issued a Joint Press Release on the results of the talks and jointly witnessed the signing ceremony of nine cooperation documents between ministries, sectors, and agencies of the two countries in the fields of economy, trade, investment, education, development cooperation, startup ecosystem exchange, competition, and consumer protection.
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