Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh and RoK Ambassador Oh Young-ju cut a cake at the ceremony. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Việt Nam held a ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the RoK's 77th National Liberation Day (August 15) and the 30th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic ties (December 22).

Addressing the event, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh said he is impressed with the RoK's socio-economic achievements over the past years.

He said 30 years are not a long period but, thanks to the resolve and efforts by generations of the two countries' leaders and people, based on cultural similarities, geographical proximity, economic complementarities, and common strategic interests, Việt Nam and the RoK have become leading partners of each other.

He believes there remains huge potential for bilateral relations to develop further, given the demand for post-pandemic economic recovery and global trends like digital transformation and green growth.

Việt Nam has devised its development strategy with big socio-economic targets for 2030, with a vision to 2045, while the RoK also looks to become a leading country, which shows that there is much room for both sides to enhance cooperation during the realisation of their development targets, Minh added.

The Deputy PM called on the two countries to strengthen ties in all fields, both bilaterally and multilaterally, so that their relations will develop more strongly and reach a new height.

During the upcoming State-level visit of President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc to the RoK, the two countries' leaders will discuss and define a new framework for their relations along with goals and development directions of bilateral ties in the next stage, he said.

He said 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties and forms an important milestone opening up a new development stage in bilateral connections. With the solid foundation of their relations, Việt Nam and the RoK will move forward together, remain trustworthy partners, and jointly achieve even greater attainments in their ties for the sake of the two peoples.

RoK Ambassador Oh Young-ju said Việt Nam is a leading partner of her country in enhancing solidarity with ASEAN and building a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

The two countries are preparing for the next 30 years of cooperation, she said, suggesting that based on the existing partnership in manufacturing, they should expand their links to digital transformation, the realisation of the carbon neutrality target, and economic security.

They should also bolster diplomatic, and defence cooperation since regional and international peace is a prerequisite for stability and prosperity. The diplomat said that collaboration should also be enhanced in settling disputes and international issues such as climate change.

She added South Korean expatriates also play an important role in bilateral ties, and it's time for the two sides to work together so that the Korean community in Việt Nam can make greater contributions to the Southeast Asian nation. — VNS