Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm holds talks with President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung have agreed on a strategic vision for economic connectivity in the new era, with an aim of achieving US$150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.

They reached the agreement during their talks in Hà Nội on Wednesday after an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace.

Lâm expressed appreciation and high regard for President Lee as the first guest to pay a state visit following Việt Nam’s consolidation of its leadership after the election of the 16th National Assembly.

He said the visit is a vivid testament to the strong, effective Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the high level of political trust between Việt Nam and the RoK.

Lee confirmed that the relationship between the two countries is special, noting that they are as close as brothers and adding that the RoK will be a reliable partner for Việt Nam in achieving its goals of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income, developed country by 2045.

Building on the achievements in cooperation between the two countries in recent years, he expressed readiness to work with Lâm and other key Vietnamese leaders to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership towards a future of shared prosperity.

Both sides held in-depth discussions on each country’s situation, bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The two leaders vowed to enhance political trust and strategic cooperation at a new level, implement existing mechanisms and agreements and expand substantive collaboration in key areas, such as diplomacy, defence and security, while coordinating efforts to address non-traditional security challenges and transnational crime.

They committed to facilitating trade, opening markets for each other’s exports and imports and supporting Vietnamese enterprises to participate in the RoK’s production supply chains, helping build an independent and self-reliant economy.

Lâm expressed appreciation for the investment and contributions of RoK firms to Việt Nam’s socio-economic development and welcomed further expansion of investment in priority sectors, such as infrastructure development, smart cities and ports, semiconductors, AI data centres and construction of next-generation seaports.

Lee said he hopes that the Vietnamese Government will continue to support and resolve difficulties faced by South Korean enterprises in their investment projects in Việt Nam.

He confirmed that the RoK will closely coordinate with the Southeast Asian nation to effectively use funds from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund and the Economic Development Promotion Facility, focusing on Việt Nam’s strategic infrastructure sectors.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen collaboration in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as key drivers of bilateral cooperation and national development goals.

The Vietnamese Party chief proposed enhancing joint research and technology transfer and called on the RoK to continue supporting Việt Nam in implementing the Việt Nam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

Welcoming the proposal, Lee said the RoK is ready to share technologies in future industries, such as AI, semiconductors, clean energy and workforce training, contributing to Việt Nam’s modernisation and scientific advancement.

He also suggested strengthening connections between the two countries’ innovation and start-up ecosystems.

The two leaders agreed that expanding cooperation in culture, education and people-to-people exchanges will provide a solid foundation for long-term, sustainable relations.

They pledged to continue supporting and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens living, studying and working in each other’s country, including multicultural families.

Lâm called on the RoK to support Việt Nam in developing its cultural and entertainment industries and sharing experience in tourism promotion.

In terms of multilateral cooperation, the Vietnamese leader confirmed the counttry’s readiness to work with the RoK to effectively implement the ASEAN–RoK Plan of Action for the 2026–2030 period and to coordinate with Mekong countries in organising the Mekong–RoK Summit later this year.

Both leaders also shared a strategic vision of maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea) and ensuring legitimate rights and interests under international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

They also emphasised the importance of promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of 12 cooperation agreements across various sectors.

These included memoranda of understanding on cooperation in security protection between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the RoK’s Presidential Security Service, as well as digital cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the RoK’s Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology.

A cooperation deal on power infrastructure between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the RoK’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment was also signed. 

On the afternoon of the same day, at the Presidential Palace in Hà Nội, General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung co-chaired a joint press conference to announce the results of their talks. — VNS