Gyeongju, October 31, 2025 – The Europe Today: Vietnamese State President Lương Cường held talks with Republic of Korea (RoK) President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju on Thursday afternoon, during his visit to the RoK to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2025.
President Lee reaffirmed that the RoK continues to view Việt Nam as a key partner in implementing its regional foreign policies, highlighting that President Cường’s visit holds significant importance for advancing cooperation toward peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Congratulating Việt Nam on its impressive economic growth exceeding 7%, President Lee expressed his confidence in Việt Nam’s development trajectory and confirmed the RoK’s readiness to continue accompanying the Southeast Asian nation in its next stages of growth.
President Cường expressed heartfelt gratitude to President Lee, the government, and the people of the RoK for their warm and thoughtful hospitality, while conveying the greetings and best wishes of Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and other senior Vietnamese leaders.
He noted with satisfaction that more than 30 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Việt Nam–RoK ties have grown stronger and deeper, with both nations becoming reliable strategic partners and close friends. Việt Nam, he affirmed, attaches great importance to its relations with the RoK and looks forward to making their cooperation more substantive, effective, and sustainable in the years ahead.
The two leaders agreed to enhance delegation exchanges at all levels, effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms, and accelerate the execution of agreements reached during Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s State visit to the RoK in August.
They also emphasized the need to foster mutually beneficial economic collaboration, aligning with both nations’ development goals. President Cường proposed that the two sides work closely to achieve their bilateral trade target of US$150 billion by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable way, reaffirming Việt Nam’s commitment to facilitating long-term investments by Korean enterprises.
President Lee, in turn, emphasized that the RoK regards Việt Nam as an important strategic partner in trade, investment, and industry, pledging to expand labor cooperation, enhance technology transfer, and support the development of supporting industries in Việt Nam. He also expressed the RoK’s intention to encourage Korean businesses to invest further in key sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and new urban construction.
Both sides agreed to make science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and workforce development a new pillar of bilateral cooperation, while enhancing educational, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges to foster deeper mutual understanding.
President Cường requested continued support from the RoK in protecting the legitimate rights and welfare of the Vietnamese community living, studying, and working in the country, ensuring their long-term stability and integration.
During their talks, the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of shared concern. President Cường congratulated the RoK on successfully hosting APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2025 and expressed his hope that Seoul would support Việt Nam in organizing APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2027.
The two countries pledged to strengthen cooperation in regional and international forums, including accelerating the upgrade of the ASEAN–Korea Free Trade Agreement and advancing preparations for the Mekong–RoK Summit.
Both sides reaffirmed their shared strategic vision of maintaining peace, stability, and lawful rights in the East Sea (South China Sea) in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Earlier the same day, President Cường attended the “Vietnam Day” event in Gyeongju, co-organized by Gyeongsangbuk Province, the Saemaul Undong Foundation, and the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK, marking the 20th anniversary of the internationalization of the Saemaul Undong (New Village) Movement.
