Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Kim Jung-tai, Chairman of Republic of Korea's Hana Financial Group Inc.

At a reception for Kim Jung-tai, Chairman of Hana Financial Group Inc. of the RoK in Hanoi, the leader welcomed the Korean firm’s operation in Vietnam and said he is delighted that the RoK attaches great importance to Vietnam's role in its New Southern Policy.

The Vietnam-RoK cooperation has recorded strong developments in recent times, and collaboration between Hana Group and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) is a vivid manifestation of this bond, he stressed.

According to PM Phuc, there are more than 6,000 Korean enterprises operating in Vietnam, and about 160,000 Korean nationals living and working in Vietnam. Meanwhile, more than 180,000 Vietnamese people are living and studying in the RoK.

Financial cooperation between the two countries in general, and between Hana Group and the BIDV in particular will bring practical benefits, commensurate with the bilateral economic and trade relations.

RoK firms are strongly expanding their investment in Vietnam, offering a great chance for Hana and the BIDV to further promote their cooperation, he noted, adding that the two sides need to set a goal to push their two-way trade in the coming time.

Kim, for his part, said Hana Group has officially become a strategic shareholder of the BIDV.

He added the group is grateful to the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries and sectors of Vietnam for their support to the cooperation, and that this is a good opportunity for the group and its subsidiaries to promote cooperation and expand business in Vietnam./.VNA