On the afternoon of April 22, immediately after the State-level welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Party General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with the Republic of Korea (RoK) President Lee Jae Myung, who is on a State visit to Vietnam.

The Party General Secretary and President warmly welcomed President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse, together with the high-level delegation of the Government of the RoK, on their State visit to Vietnam. He expressed his respect and highly valued the fact that President Lee Jae Myung is the first foreign guest to undertake a State visit following Vietnam’s completion of leadership consolidation after the 16th National Assembly elections.

The Vietnamese leader emphasized that the visit is the most vivid demonstration of the strong, effective, and increasingly comprehensive nature of the Vietnam - RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as well as the high level of political trust between the two countries.

He also expressed delight at the great achievements the Government and people of the RoK have attained in recent years, and wished the country further success in achieving new “Miracles on the Han River,” contributing to peace and prosperity in the region and the world.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed his pleasure in returning to Vietnam and witnessing the country’s dynamic development. He sincerely congratulated Party General Secretary and President To Lam on being elected by the 16th National Assembly to hold the position of President.

He expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, with the Party General Secretary and President at the helm, Vietnam would continue to achieve major accomplishments in realizing its socio-economic development goals.

The RoK President emphasized that the relationship between the two countries is a special and close one, like brothers, and affirmed that the RoK will remain a reliable partner accompanying Vietnam in its goal of becoming a high-middle-income developing country by 2030 and a high-income developed country by 2045.

Building on the effective cooperation results achieved over recent years, President Lee Jae Myung affirmed his readiness to work with Party General Secretary and President To Lam and other key Vietnamese leaders to further advance the Vietnam-RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership toward shared prosperity in the future.

In an atmosphere of friendship and cordiality, the two leaders discussed in depth the situation in each country, bilateral relations, and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They agreed to strengthen political trust and elevate strategic cooperation to a new height; effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms and agreements; and expand substantive cooperation in key areas including diplomacy, defense, and security, as well as coordination in addressing non-traditional security challenges and transnational crime.

Both sides emphasized the implementation of a strategic vision on economic connectivity in the context of the new situation, including efforts to achieve a bilateral trade turnover target of USD 150 billion by 2030. They committed to further facilitating trade and opening markets for each other’s goods, and to supporting Vietnamese enterprises in participating in the RoK’s production and supply chains, thereby contributing to Vietnam’s development of an independent and self-reliant economy.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated the investment participation and contributions of the RoK enterprises to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, and welcomed Korean businesses to expand investment in priority areas such as infrastructure development, smart urban areas, semiconductors, large-scale AI data centers, smart port cooperation, and next-generation seaport development.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed appreciation and hoped that the Vietnamese Government would continue to provide support in resolving difficulties and obstacles faced by the RoK enterprises operating in Vietnam. He affirmed that the RoK would closely coordinate with Vietnam in effectively implementing funds from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the Economic Development Promotion Fund (EDPF), focusing on Vietnam’s strategic infrastructure sectors.

The two sides also agreed to promote cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as key drivers of bilateral relations and national development goals.

The Party General Secretary and President proposed strengthening research cooperation and technology transfer between the two countries, and requested continued support from the RoK for the Vietnam–Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) project.

Agreeing with and highly valuing these proposals, President Lee Jae Myung stated that the RoK is ready to share technologies in future industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, and human resource training, contributing to Vietnam’s modernization and development of advanced science and technology. He also proposed enhancing connectivity between the innovation and startup ecosystems of both countries.

The two leaders shared the view that further expanding cooperation in culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges would provide a solid foundation for the long-term and sustainable development of bilateral relations. They agreed to continue supporting and protecting the legitimate rights of citizens of each country living, studying, and working in the other, including multicultural families, and to strengthen substantive cooperation between localities to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam proposed that the RoK actively support Vietnam in developing its cultural and entertainment industries and share experience in tourism promotion.

Regarding cooperation in multilateral forums, the Vietnamese leader affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to work with the RoK to effectively implement the ASEAN - RoK Plan of Action for 2026-2030, and to coordinate with Mekong countries in hosting the Mekong - RoK Summit in 2026, thereby maximizing potential and enhancing economic connectivity and the development of resilient and sustainable value chains.

The two sides shared a strategic vision on maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, ensuring legitimate rights and interests in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), and emphasized the importance of promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Following the talks, Party General Secretary and President To Lam and President Lee Jae Myung witnessed the exchange of 12 cooperation documents signed between ministries and agencies of the two countries, reflecting the rich and comprehensive outcomes achieved during the visit.

In the evening of the same day, Party General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse hosted a solemn banquet in honor of President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse on their State visit to Vietnam.