General Secretary To Lam and his wife depart for a visit to South Korea.

The visit by the General Secretary and his wife was made at the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife.

The delegation included: Chairman of the Central Inspection Committee Nguyen Duy Ngoc; General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense; General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; Chief of the Central Party Office Le Hoai Trung; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan; Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung; Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung; Mr. To An Xo, Assistant to the General Secretary, in charge of the General Secretary's Office; and Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Vu Ho.

Since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2022), Vietnam-Korea relations have entered an unprecedented phase of deep and comprehensive development.

Political and diplomatic cooperation has been enhanced, and strategic trust has deepened. Dialogue mechanisms have been expanded not only on security and defense but also on technology, innovation, and sustainable development.

Trade and investment between the two countries have grown strongly, reaching over $90 billion in 2024, aiming for $100 billion. South Korea has also become Vietnam's leading investor partner with a total capital of up to $92 billion. South Korea is also the second largest development partner in ASEAN, ranking first in ODA.

People-to-people exchanges are another focus in Vietnam-Korea relations. The number of Vietnamese residing in South Korea has increased significantly, reaching over 300,000 permanent residents, and there are over 200,000 Koreans in Vietnam, active in all economic and social sectors of both countries.

However, the aforementioned achievements of the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership are only the beginning; many resources still need to be unlocked and potentials need to be exploited. General Secretary To Lam's visit will be a new impetus, inspiring many long-term and effective solutions for the strong resurgence of relations in the new phase.

Speaking to Vietnamese journalists before the visit, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that General Secretary To Lam's visit was the first reception of a foreign head of state and also the first state visit of the new South Korean government.

"South Korea highly values ​​its relationship with Vietnam, and this is a testament to my personal determination, as well as that of the South Korean government, to develop the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' between the two countries towards the future," the President affirmed.

The relationship between South Korea and Vietnam is much closer than the usual geographical distance suggests.

The President shared that he felt very proud to have contributed, however small, to expanding trust and friendship between the people of the two countries. While serving as Mayor of Seongnam City, he signed the agreement establishing a sister city relationship between Seongnam and Thanh Hoa Province of Vietnam, and actively promoted international exchanges and official development assistance (ODA) projects.

Immediately after taking office, the President had a telephone conversation with President Luong Cuong, expressing his determination to cooperate and also expediting the appointment of a special envoy to Vietnam.

Therefore, the visit of General Secretary To Lam and his wife holds special significance for him. The President believes that the visit will contribute to strengthening political trust between the two countries, while also marking an important milestone, opening a new chapter for South Korea-Vietnam relations.