On the afternoon of April 23 in Hanoi, Prime Minister of Vietnam Le Minh Hung and President of the RoK Lee Jae Myung attended a roundtable dialogue on economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK. The event took place within the framework of the Vietnam - RoK Economic Forum.

The roundtable was held as part of the state visit to Vietnam by President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse. It brought together leaders of ministries and agencies from both countries, as well as senior representatives of 26 leading enterprises from Vietnam and the RoK in key sectors, including energy, finance, technology, electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, trade, tourism and aviation.

Participants included major Vietnamese corporations such as the National Industry - Energy Group, Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam Chemical Group, Sun Group, Thanh Cong Group, Truong Hai Group, CMC Technology Group, FPT Group, CT Group, and Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company. On the RoK side, participating enterprises included Samsung Electronics, LG Corp., Lotte Group, Hyundai Motor Group, HD Hyundai, Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd., POSCO Holdings, Hyosung Corporation, Doosan Enerbility, and GS Holdings.

Building on 34 years of sound Vietnam - RoK relations, economic and trade cooperation has remained a central pillar of bilateral ties and a highlight in Vietnam’s international economic engagement. The two countries have become top-priority partners for each other.

The RoK is currently Vietnam’s largest investor, its second-largest source of international tourists, the second-largest provider of official development assistance, the third-largest trading partner, and the third-largest labour market. In 2025, bilateral trade reached USD 89.5 billion. As of March 2026, cumulative investment from the RoK in Vietnam amounted to USD 98.9 billion across 10,447 projects, maintaining its position as the largest investor in Vietnam.

Speaking at the roundtable, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung described the event as a direct, substantive and high-level platform for exchange between the two governments and the business communities of both countries. It provides an opportunity to review past achievements while shaping a new direction for Vietnam - RoK economic cooperation in the coming period.

He noted that the presence of leading enterprises from both sides reflects trust, strong connectivity and growing expectations for a new phase of development - one that is deeper, more substantive and more closely integrated, in which both sides jointly shape a new stage of growth.

According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam is entering a new phase of development with the goal of fast and sustainable growth, driven by science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. The country is focusing on three strategic breakthroughs in institutions, infrastructure and human resources, while shifting its growth model from breadth to depth, and from processing and assembly to innovation and high value-added activities. In this process, Vietnam identifies the private sector as the most important growth driver, while international cooperation, including with the RoK, is a key factor for breakthroughs.

He emphasised that Vietnam - RoK relations have moved beyond traditional trade and investment cooperation to a higher, more strategic and comprehensive level, aiming to jointly participate in and co-create new value chains in the region and globally.

On that basis, the Prime Minister called on Korean enterprises to expand investment in depth, particularly in high value-added sectors such as high technology, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and clean energy. He also encouraged stronger technology transfer, the development of research and development ecosystems in Vietnam, and deeper business-to-business linkages between the two countries to enhance integration into global value chains, thereby fostering sustainable mutual growth.

The Vietnamese Government reaffirmed its commitment to continued institutional reforms, stronger administrative procedure simplification, and the removal of barriers to business operations, ensuring a transparent, stable and predictable investment environment under the principle of long-term mutual benefit and sustainable development.

In the context of global supply chain restructuring and intensifying technological competition, the Prime Minister stressed that this is the right moment for Vietnam and the RoK to elevate their cooperation to a new level, from economic and investment partners to co-creators of the future.

He expressed his expectation that enterprises from both countries will engage in frank dialogue, put forward concrete proposals, and work with the two governments to remove bottlenecks and open new avenues of cooperation in the time ahead.

For his part, President Lee Jae Myung expressed his pleasure at meeting business leaders from both countries, describing them as key contributors to strengthening the Vietnam - RoK partnership.

He noted that the current period is marked by global economic instability and uncertainty, making economic cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK more important than ever. He expressed confidence that the two countries are optimal partners and leaders in global value chains.

Highlighting Vietnam as a global manufacturing hub with strong production capacity and abundant resources, the President stated that, when combined with the RoK’s advanced industrial technologies, the two countries can overcome any crisis and jointly build a future industrial ecosystem, generating shared growth momentum.

He expressed confidence that Vietnam - RoK trade will reach the target of USD 150 billion by 2030, and proposed stronger cooperation in manufacturing, as well as expansion into advanced industries such as semiconductors and electric vehicles, alongside enhanced supply chain connectivity in critical industrial materials.

The President also emphasised the need to build a resilient cooperation framework to ensure the two economies are not shaken by external shocks. He noted that, in order to support Vietnam’s stable industrial environment, it is necessary to develop efficient power supply networks, including liquefied natural gas power plants and nuclear power, and to expand infrastructure cooperation in this direction.

President Lee Jae Myung concluded by stressing that the participating business leaders are pillars shaping the future economic development of both countries, expressing his hope that enterprises from Vietnam and the RoK will share experience and knowledge to jointly open a new horizon of cooperation.