Korean President hosts welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Party leader
Since the two countries established their diplomatic ties in 1992, the bilateral relationship has become a model of a very special, effective, and substantive partnership.
President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung (L) and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam review the guard of honour. (Photo: VNA)
Seoul (VNA) – President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung and his spouse hosted an official welcome ceremony at the Yongsan Presidential Office on August 11 morning for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and his spouse, who are on a four-day state visit to the East Asian country.
A military band played the national anthems of both countries, and 21-cannon salute was fired during the ceremony, showing the RoK's high regard for the visit by the Vietnamese Party leader, his spouse and the high-ranking delegation. Then the two leaders reviewed the guard of honour.
RoK President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse welcome Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse (Photo: VNA)
Since the two countries established their diplomatic ties in 1992, the bilateral relationship has become a model of a very special, effective, and substantive partnership. It has reached its highest framework - Comprehensive Strategic Partnership - with a very high level of political trust, thanks to substantive cooperation in various fields that has brought tangible benefits to the people and business communities of both sides.
The RoK is currently Vietnam’s largest investor and its third-biggest trading partner. Meanwhile, Vietnam is the RoK’s top priority partner for development assistance.
As of May 2025, the RoK had 10,203 valid projects with registered capital totalling 94 billion USD in Vietnam, accounting for 23.5% of all FDI projects and 18.1% of registered foreign investment. Vietnam currently has 112 investment projects in the RoK with total capital of 37.4 million USD. Bilateral trade reached 81.5 billion USD in 2024, up 7.3% year-on-year.
Collaboration in culture, education, labour, tourism, and other areas has recorded significant achievements as well. In the fields of science, technology, and innovation, an area expected to become a new pillar of the bilateral relations, Vietnam and the RoK have achieved many promising and encouraging outcomes.
ℱ As Vietnam advances its major national development orientations, Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to the RoK demonstrates the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, and proactive, active, comprehensive, intensive, extensive and effective international integration. It is also an important diplomatic activity aimed at promoting the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 59 on international integration in the new situation./.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, pay a state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) from August 10–13. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea have continuously strengthened and expanded cooperation across various sectors. The elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022 marks a new stage of development, affirming mutual political trust and a shared vision for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
Addressing the meeting, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting a large number of Vietnamese living and working in the RoK, acknowledging and appreciating their efforts in contributing to the growing Vietnam–RoK partnership.
During a meeting on August 10 in Seoul with 100 representatives from the RoK’s intellectuals, associations, people’s organisations, businesses, and non-governmental organisations operating in Vietnam, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed his gratitude to Korean friendship, economic, cultural associations, universities, research institutes, individuals, and NGOs for their significant contributions to nurturing the Vietnam–RoK relationship.
He also welcomed the “Vietnam Private Sector Panorama” as a platform for dialogue, awareness-raising, and inspiring a wealth-creation movement, emphasising that it must deliver tangible results.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with Chairman of the Republic of Korea (RoK)–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee is scheduled to convene its 48th session on August 11-13, with August 14-15 set as a backup date, according to the NA Office.
Vietnam’s Ambassador to Brazil and Bolivia Bui Van Nghi has led an embassy delegation to attend official events marking the 200th anniversary of Bolivia’s Independence Day.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with members of the Vietnam Innovation Network in Korea (VINK) and Vietnamese experts living and working in the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
In an interview with Korean media on the occasion of Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to the RoK, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that the visit demonstrates Vietnam’s strong resolve to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the RoK, with the aim of fostering greater political trust, closer strategic coordination, more substantive and comprehensive cooperation, and stronger bonds of friendship between the two countries' people.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government Party Committee, attended the 4th Party Congress of the EVN Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure on August 10, directing EVN to ensure power supply to meet the country’s development demands with double-digit growth set for the coming years.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
