National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted a reception in Hanoi on Friday for a delegation from the Republic of Korea (RoK)-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group led by its Chairman Kim Hak-yong.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Friday for a delegation from the Republic of Korea (RoK)-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group led by its Chairman Kim Hak-yong.

The top legislator spoke highly of exchanges between the friendship parliamentarians’ groups of the two countries, saying a friendly football match in Hà Nội later the same day will contribute to enhancing the understanding, solidarity and friendship between the Vietnamese and RoK lawmakers.

Events organised between the groups on this occasion are concrete and practical activities to realise cooperation contents reached by the two countries’ parliamentary leaders during the high-ranking Vietnamese NA delegation’s visit to the RoK last December, she said.

For his part, Kim said the friendly football match was a significant activity, showing Việt Nam and the RoK had become close friends when their parliamentarians join together on the football pitch. He expressed his wish that a similar event would be held in his country.

Informing his host about the outcomes of the exchange between the two groups earlier on Friday, he said the two sides discussed orientations to strengthen future collaboration. He affirmed that the RoK-Việt Nam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group would try its best to realise these orientations.

The guest also congratulated Việt Nam on its 2018 GDP growth rate of over 7 per cent amid numerous difficulties in the world economy. He believes that the RoK and Việt Nam will become co-operation partners for mutual development.

Agreeing with Kim, NA Chairwoman Ngân said Việt Nam-RoK relations had developed comprehensively and pragmatically on the basis of political trust between the two countries’ high-ranking leaders, similarities in history and culture, mutual economic assistance, and people-to-people exchanges.

After their relationship was upgraded to a strategic cooperative partnership in 2009, the two countries had become important partners, with strongly developing co-operation in economy-trade-investment and labour, and development.

Collaboration in culture and education, and people-to-people exchanges had expanded in both quantity and quality, serving as an important foundation for the two countries’ people to enhance their mutual understanding, she said, adding that there were around 65,000 multicultural Korean-Vietnamese families.

Flights between the two nations’ cities have increased, providing more opportunities for bilateral connection and people-to-people exchange, she noted.

Applauding the outcomes of the working session between the two friendship parliamentarians’ groups, Ngân urged them to continue promoting their role as a bridge between the legislatures and people of the two countries.

The groups should develop new initiatives to increase exchanges and meetings, boost co-operation in lawmaking, and supervise the implementation of co-operation agreements signed between the two governments, she said.

According to Kim, about 150,000 Koreans are living and working in Việt Nam while 170,000 Vietnamese in the RoK. He expressed his wish that the Vietnamese leaders and NA would pay more attention to the Korean community in Việt Nam and affirmed that the RoK National Assembly would do its utmost to support Vietnamese nationals in the country. — VNS