Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has proposed that the South Korean government simplify the visa issuance process and ultimately waive visa requirements for Vietnamese citizens traveling to South Korea.
On July 2, during his official visit to South Korea, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with his South Korean counterpart, Han Duck Soo, in Seoul.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo welcomes Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Photo by Nhat Bac.Photo by Nhat Bac.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo highlighted the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit, noting that it comes at a time when bilateral relations are thriving across various sectors.
He emphasized Vietnam's importance as a key partner in South Korea's foreign policy, recognizing Vietnam as the largest development cooperation partner, the third-largest trade partner, and the top investment destination in ASEAN.
Expressing gratitude for the warm and respectful reception, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh praised South Korea's remarkable achievements, often referred to as the "Miracle on the Han River." He conveyed greetings from Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other Vietnamese leaders to Prime Minister Han Duck Soo.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed Vietnam's support for South Korea’s policies and development goals, including the "Global Pivotal State" policy. He expressed a desire to develop a substantive, effective, and long-term Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo during the talks.
During the talks, the two leaders reviewed the significant progress made in bilateral relations since upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022. They discussed major directions and specific measures to enhance the partnership further.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized eight areas of progress, including political trust, trade, investment, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, scientific and technological cooperation, labor, local cooperation, and collaboration on regional and international issues.
He outlined five priorities for future cooperation, focusing on enhancing high-level exchanges and interactions across all channels, including Party, State, Government, and National Assembly levels. This aims to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding, laying the foundation for expanding bilateral cooperation in all areas, particularly in defense and security.
Both sides agreed on the importance of close cooperation to achieve the goal of raising bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2025 and aiming for $150 billion by 2030, in a balanced and sustainable manner.
They also agreed to expedite procedures to open markets for Vietnamese pomelos and South Korean melons by 2024.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo emphasized the necessity of creating favorable investment conditions for sustainable trade and expanding investment. He encouraged Vietnam to address issues faced by South Korean businesses in the country and highlighted the importance of integrating Vietnamese enterprises into supply chains led by South Korean firms in Vietnam.
South Korea continues to regard Vietnam as a strategic partner in development cooperation, prioritizing human resource training in industrial sectors through grants from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo committed to expanding grant aid for public administration, e-government, education, research, and development.
South Korea will also increase the quota for Vietnamese workers and support the second phase of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) project. Prime Minister Han Duck Soo affirmed South Korea's support for Vietnam in hosting the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit in April 2025.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged South Korea to further open its market to Vietnamese products, particularly processed foods, agricultural and aquatic products, and seasonal fruits.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister also encouraged South Korean businesses to expand their investments in Vietnam, especially in sectors such as liquefied natural gas, digital economy, green economy, circular economy, semiconductors, renewable energy, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence. He emphasized the importance of establishing more research and development centers in Vietnam.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for twice hosting dialogues with South Korean businesses, which helped address challenges and create favorable conditions for their operations and investments in Vietnam.
Both leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in culture, tourism, education, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed the opening of a Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan by 2024 and the establishment of a "Vietnam Cultural Center in South Korea." He also urged for the simplification of visa procedures and eventual visa waiver for Vietnamese citizens to promote tourism cooperation.
The two leaders agreed to enhance cultural, tourism, educational, and people-to-people exchanges and to increase local cooperation through mechanisms such as "Meet Korea" events in Vietnamese localities. They also discussed providing more scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in South Korea.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his hope for continued support and favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in South Korea.
During the talks, the two Prime Ministers also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern and agreed to cooperate closely in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and ASEAN. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated Vietnam’s consistent support for denuclearization and the promotion of dialogue, peace, stability, cooperation, and development on the Korean Peninsula.
Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of nine cooperation documents between their respective ministries, sectors, and agencies in various fields including economy, trade, investment, education, development cooperation, startup ecosystem exchange, competition, and consumer protection.
Vietnamnet.vn
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