On the morning of August 11, at the Office of the President of South Korea, immediately after the official welcoming ceremony, General Secretary To Lam held high-level talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
President Lee Jae Myung warmly welcomed General Secretary To Lam, his spouse, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation on their state visit to South Korea, marking the first foreign guest visit since the new South Korean administration took office. He affirmed that South Korea consistently regards Vietnam as a key partner in implementing its foreign policies in the region.
President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the special significance of General Secretary To Lam’s first visit to South Korea as the highest-ranking leader of Vietnam, which will serve as a strong impetus to enhance mutual understanding, strengthen political trust, and further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between South Korea and Vietnam in the coming period.
Congratulating Vietnam on its remarkable development achievements and growing international stature, President Lee Jae Myung expressed admiration for the great nation of Vietnam and its resilient people in their struggle for national liberation. He expressed confidence that the Vietnamese people, under the leadership of General Secretary To Lam, will achieve new milestones in national development and soon become a developed country and a regional hub.
Affirming Vietnam’s critical importance in the region, President Lee Jae Myung stressed South Korea’s readiness to accompany Vietnam in its next stages of development.
General Secretary To Lam sincerely thanked President Lee Jae Myung, the South Korean government, and its people for the warm and thoughtful reception. He appreciated President Lee Jae Myung’s invitation for the General Secretary, his spouse, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation to visit South Korea immediately after his election, demonstrating South Korea’s high regard and priority for Vietnam and the Vietnam-South Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
General Secretary To Lam expressed confidence that President Lee Jae Myung would lead South Korea to new “Miracle on the Han River” achievements. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent emphasis on relations with South Korea in its foreign policy and expressed hope to work with President Lee Jae Myung and South Korean leaders to guide bilateral cooperation toward new, substantive, effective, and sustainable progress across all fields, commensurate with the highest diplomatic framework established by both sides.
In a sincere and friendly atmosphere, the two leaders exchanged comprehensive and strategic views on their respective countries’ situations and Vietnam-South Korea relations. Both sides expressed delight at the remarkable development and highlights in bilateral ties over more than 30 years of diplomatic relations, especially since upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and jointly implementing action plans under this framework.
President Lee Jae Myung shared and agreed with General Secretary To Lam’s view that Vietnam and South Korea enjoy favorable strategic conditions to further strengthen political trust, enhance practical cooperation across fields, complement each other’s strengths, and achieve mutual development in this new era.
General Secretary To Lam and President Lee Jae Myung agreed to continue consolidating political trust and strengthening strategic coordination in key areas of diplomacy, defense, and security. They also committed to expanding cooperation across Party, State, Government, National Assembly, and people-to-people exchanges, laying the groundwork for advancing and broadening bilateral collaboration in all fields.
The two leaders agreed to direct relevant agencies and localities to effectively implement bilateral cooperation agreements, particularly the “Action Program to Implement the Vietnam-South Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
They shared a common vision for shaping and implementing a new strategic framework for Vietnam-South Korea economic linkages—transitioning from market-based cooperation to joint development in production chains and high-quality human resources. This shift prioritizes depth, quality, efficiency, sustainability, innovation capacity, and long-term development benefits, elevating bilateral economic ties to new heights in line with both countries’ needs and interests.
Both sides agreed to facilitate trade and market access for each other’s goods, support Vietnamese enterprises in deeper integration into South Korean global supply chains, and strive toward the goal of achieving $150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
The leaders also agreed to elevate science and technology cooperation as a pillar and highlight of bilateral relations, enabling Vietnam to become a value-creating partner for South Korea in technology and innovation.
