Vietnamese National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man received a delegation from the Korea–Vietnam Friendship Association, led by its Chairman Lee Shin-jae, at the National Assembly House in Hanoi on October 27 during the delegation’s visit to Vietnam.
Tran Thanh Man expressed deep appreciation for the sincere sentiments and support extended to Vietnam by organisations, associations, businesses and friends from the Republic of Korea. He noted the role of people-to-people diplomacy in strengthening the social foundations of bilateral ties, deepening mutual understanding between the two countries’ peoples and turning the substance of the Vietnam–RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into concrete results.
He said Vietnam has always regarded the RoK as one of its leading partners in economic cooperation, trade, investment, science and technology, tourism, education and training. The RoK is currently one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam, with cumulative registered investment exceeding 100 billion USD in the first nine months of 2026. Bilateral trade amounts to 80–90 billion USD a year.
Tourism cooperation remains a bright spot in bilateral relations. Vietnam welcomed more than 3 million Korean visitors in the first nine months of 2026. Of the 17.5 million international visitors to Vietnam during the same period, Korean tourists continued to make up a substantial share and contributed to the development of the country’s tourism sector.
The National Assembly President praised the role of the Korea–Vietnam Friendship Association and Lee Shin-jae personally in promoting people-to-people exchanges, particularly cultural activities, support for Vietnamese people affected by natural disasters, school construction, scholarships for Vietnamese students studying in the RoK and assistance to the Vietnamese community there.
Lee Shin-jae said the National Assembly President’s meeting with Korean friends in Seoul in September clearly showed the Vietnamese National Assembly’s high regard for the friendship between the two countries’ peoples. He said this gave strong encouragement to the Korea–Vietnam Friendship Association to further expand people-to-people exchanges.
He said Vietnam and the RoK, building on trust developed over many years, have expanded cooperation across areas ranging from politics and economics to culture. The friendship between the two countries is strengthened through close cooperation between their Governments and National Assemblies, as well as regular exchanges and engagement between their peoples, he stressed.
As a bridge of friendship between the two countries’ peoples, the Korea–Vietnam Friendship Association has carried out practical activities including humanitarian assistance, scholarships, cultural exchanges and youth exchanges, he said.
Lee Shin-jae expressed his desire to continue working closely with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations to promote people-to-people exchanges, organise forums connecting investors and businesses, and expand cooperation into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, scientific research and technology transfer.
Agreeing with him, Tran Thanh Man stressed that the two sides should continue exchanging delegations and maintaining high-level contacts, while stepping up trade and investment promotion, particularly in areas where Vietnam has needs and the RoK has strengths, including science and technology, innovation, the semiconductor industry and artificial intelligence.
The National Assembly President suggested expanding business connectivity between the two countries, creating favourable conditions for Korean businesses to increase their investments in Vietnam and supporting Vietnamese enterprises in taking a deeper part in the RoK’s supply chains and production networks.
He called for stronger people-to-people exchanges, encouraging more Korean tourists to visit Vietnam and more Vietnamese people to travel to the RoK in order to deepen mutual understanding and bonds between the two countries’ peoples.
He also expressed hope that the Korea–Vietnam Friendship Association would continue supporting Vietnamese people living, studying and working in the RoK. For its part, Vietnam, through the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and relevant agencies, will continue to pay attention to and facilitate the study, production and business activities of the Korean community in Vietnam.
Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the top Vietnamese legislator affirmed that Vietnam’s National Assembly would maintain close ties with the National Assembly of the RoK and exchange experience in lawmaking and oversight to improve the effectiveness of both legislatures.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
