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| Royal appointment: Hà Văn Siêu (first row, left), vice chairman of the VNAT, and Lee Chang-kun (first row, right), Vietnamese Ambassador of Tourism in South Korea, signed a MoU in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Hà Trang |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — A descendant of the Vietnamese Lý Royal family has been chosen to promote tourism in South Korea.
Lý Xương Căn (Lee Chang-kun) will enhance activities to attract visitors over the next year, according to a MoU signed with the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
The signing ceremony took place yesterday in Hà Nội with Hà Văn Siêu, vice chairman of the VNAT.
“The number of tourists travelling from Korea to Việt Nam and vice versa has increased dynamically,” he said.
The 31st-generation descendant of the Lý Dynasty founding father, King Lý Thái Tổ (974-1028), Lee has volunteered to serve as the Tourism Promotion Representative of the VNAT in Korea during the term 2019-2020.
He has been tasked with finding potential customers for the Vietnamese market, promote information about tourism and support associations and organisations at promotional events held in Korea.
During the term, Lee volunteered to pay all expenses himself. Tourism authority Siêu said he highly appreciated the contribution and enthusiasm of Lee, adding it was the first time the VNAT has a representative abroad.
“We believe that Lý Xương Căn will complete the mission and help exploit the Korean market, one of many key markets for Vietnamese tourism,” said Siêu, who spoke his name in Vietnamese.
“The establishment of an office of the VNAT in Korea will open more opportunities for us and the image of Việt Nam will be promoted to many Korean people.”
Last year, Việt Nam received 3.5 million visitors from South Korea, Siêu said.
Lee Chang-kun was born in 1958 in Seoul. A 31st-generation descendant of King Lý Thái Tổ (974-1028) and a 26th-generation descendant of Prince Lý Long Tường who fled Việt Nam in the 13th century, when the Lý Dynasty was replaced by the Trần Dynasty. The prince settled in Korea, where his descendants have lived ever since.
Lee was granted Vietnamese citizenship in 2010 and volunteered to be Tourism Ambassador of Việt Nam in Korea. There are about 800 Vietnamese people who are descendants of Lý Dynasty living in Korea. Lee is the direct lineage descendant of the family and is a major influence on the Vietnamese community in Korea.
