Vietnam PM arrives in South Korea for official visit

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (3rd, L), his wife Le Thi Bich Tran (2nd, L) arrive at Seongnam Air Base in South Korea, June 30, 2024. Photo by Nhat Bac

Chinh, his wife Le Thi Bich Tran and the Vietnamese delegates landed at Seongnam Air Base at 2:30 p.m.

They were welcomed by Minister of SMEs and startups Oh Young-joo, South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Yong-sam, Director-General for Protocol Affairs in the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seo Won-sam, Director General of the ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs Bureau at the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kim Dong-bae, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Vu Ho, along the airport's commander and a group of Vietnamese in South Korea.

An official welcome ceremony was then held at the airport, where Chinh reviewed an honor guard.

PM Pham Minh Chinh reviews an honor guard at at Seongnam Air Base in South Korea, June 30, 2024. Photo by Nhat Bac

Chinh is scheduled for more than 30 activities during the visit, which is the first official visit of a high-ranking Vietnamese leader to South Korea since the two countries elevated their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022, the first visit by a Vietnamese prime minister over the past five years, and the first by Chinh as the PM of Vietnam.

Besides official events with South Korean leaders, Chinh will attend forums on business and labor cooperation, tourism and culture promotion, as well as dialogues with economic organizations and South Korean scientists about semiconductors and AI. He will also meet with representatives from a leading South Korean investor in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese PM is also expected to deliver a speech at Seoul National University and visit Samsung's semiconductor factory in Gyeonggi Province.

PM Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran is welcome at Seongnam Air Base in South Korea, June 30, 2024. Photo by Nhat Bac

Nguyen Minh Vu, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Chinh's trip "is very comprehensive," with more than half of activities focusing on economic matters."

Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic ties on Dec. 22, 1992, and economic cooperation has been a major part of the relations.

South Korea is the largest investor in Vietnam with US$87 billion in accumulated investment. It is also the second largest partner in ODA cooperation of Vietnam, the third largest partner in terms of labor and trade, and the largest source of tourists to Vietnam in 2023.

Bilateral trade reached nearly $80 billion in 2023.