National Assembly Speaker of the Republic of Korea Cho Jeong-sik hosts a welcome ceremony for National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn in Seoul on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photos Doãn Tấn

SEOUL — Increasing bilateral trade, investments and parliamentary cooperation were among the main issues discussed by President of the National Assembly Trần Thanh Mẫn and Speaker of the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s National Assembly Cho Jeong-sik during a high-level talk in Seoul on Monday.

The meeting took place at the RoK’s National Assembly building after a welcome ceremony was held for Mẫn, who is on an official visit to the Republic of Korea until Wednesday.

Cho expressed his appreciation for the Vietnamese NA President’s presence, as he is the first high-level guest to visit the RoK National Assembly after its new leadership election in early June.

Stressing the significance of the visit, Cho said it would contribute to consolidating political trust and promoting high-level bilateral agreements, particularly those brought about by Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm’s visit to the Republic of Korea in August 2025 and RoK President Lee Jae-myun’s visit to Việt Nam in April, which will further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

Mẫn emphasised that Việt Nam considers the RoK a top-tier strategic partner and called for bilateral cooperation growth across all sectors.

He urged the RoK National Assembly to encourage its enterprises to expand investment in Việt Nam within priority sectors, such as infrastructure, semiconductors, large AI data centres, energy and seaports, and enable deeper integration of Vietnamese businesses in RoK manufacturing supply chains.

National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn and Speaker of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly Cho Jeong-sik visit the RoK's parliament building in Seoul.

The two NA Presidents agreed to work to raise bilateral trade turnover to US$100 billion this year, up from $89.5 billion in 2025, and to $150 billion by 2030.  

They agreed to continue prioritising non-refundable Official Development Assistance and concessional foreign loans from the Republic of Korea for Việt Nam’s projects, and to promote scientific and technological cooperation as a driving force for bilateral relations.

Cooperation in workforce training, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges will also be increased to enhance mutual understanding and bonds between the two peoples.

The two legislatures will work together to refine legal frameworks supporting RoK businesses in Việt Nam and Vietnamese citizens in the Republic of Korea, especially the 100,000 multicultural Vietnamese-Korean families.

National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn and Speaker of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly Cho Jeong-sik hold a discussion at the RoK's National Assembly building in Seoul on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

The two sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges of high-level delegations and to share experience in law-making and institution-building to foster sustainable development.

They will also promote exchanges and interactions between specialised NA committees, both in-person and online, while carrying out the memorandum of understanding on cooperation signed between the two legislatures in November 2025.

On international issues, the two NA leaders agreed to leverage the role of legislative bodies in supervising the implementation of international treaties and government cooperation agreements, and to continue to support each other at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums.

Mẫn asked that the Republic of Korea actively share experiences and support Việt Nam in hosting the 2027 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, and that the two countries strengthen ties at the United Nations and within regional cooperative mechanisms, such as ASEAN-Republic of Korea and Mekong-Republic of Korea forums. — VNS