South Korean Amb: Viet Nam’s 80-year journey features resilience and perseverance

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Viet Nam's National Day, the Ambassador extended his warmest congratulations to the Government and people of Viet Nam.

This anniversary is all the more meaningful as both Korea and Viet Nam celebrate the 80th anniversary of their independence this year. Since 1945, our two nations have walked parallel paths of resilience and perseverance, achieving remarkable transformation, told the diplomat.

The launch of the "Doi Moi" reform in 1986 further opened a new era of dynamic growth and effective integration into the global economy. As a result, Viet Nam has emerged as one of the world's most vibrant and rapidly growing economies.

In more recent years, Viet Nam has pursued ambitious reforms to prepare for another leap forward. Institutional restructuring has strengthened governance, while policies have empowered the private sector as a genuine driver of innovation and growth.

Science, technology, and digital transformation have been identified as strategic breakthroughs, supported by significant investment in human capital and digital infrastructure.

The four resolutions of the Politburo, known as the "Four Pillars," further embody this forward-looking vision for sustainable and transformative development.

If the first 40 years of its modern history were marked by war and perseverance, the subsequent 40 years have been distinguished by peace and progress. For 33 of those years, the Republic of Korea has stood steadfastly as a close friend and partner, accompanying Viet Nam on its path of development.

Through these shared efforts, Viet Nam has ascended to the ranks of the world's top 30 economies and established itself as a central nation within Southeast Asia.

These achievements and reforms provide compelling grounds for confidence that Viet Nam will achieve its national aspirations to become an industrialized upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income advanced country by 2045. Its enduring record of resilience, reform, and vision affirms that these aspirations are not only ambitious but attainable.

Viet Nam's increasing role and position in the region and in the world

According to the diplomat, Viet Nam has pursued a pragmatic yet principled approach to foreign policy, consistently upholding the principles of independence, multilateralization, and diversification.

At the same time, it has steadfastly fostered bonds of friendship with partners around the world. This balanced and forward-looking diplomacy has been a key driving force behind its rise as a trusted member of the international community at both regional and global levels.

At multilateral fora such as the UN, APEC, and the WTO, while its contributions to climate action, sustainable development, and human rights protection have been widely recognized, Viet Nam is expected to play an even greater role in advancing the universal values and common interests of the international community.

In recent years, Viet Nam has further expanded its global engagement by successfully hosting major events. The P4G Summit in April 2025 reaffirmed its commitment to green growth and climate cooperation, while Ha Noi will soon host the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. Building on its successful hosting of APEC in Da Nang in 2017, the nation is preparing to welcome APEC leaders once again in Phu Quoc in 2027.

Viet Nam has taken meaningful initiatives to promote peace and prosperity across the region. Its contributions within the ASEAN and Mekong frameworks have continued to deepen over time.

It has played a pivotal role in strengthening ASEAN's centrality, especially through launching the ASEAN Future Forum as a strategic platform for track 1.5 dialogue. In the Mekong subregion, Viet Nam has advanced initiatives to foster balanced and sustainable development in line with regional priorities.

Beyond these frameworks, Viet Nam is increasingly expected to assume greater responsibilities as a key nation in the region. As a leading country in Southeast Asia, Viet Nam, together with the Republic of Korea, a leading country in Northeast Asia, has a vital role to play in addressing a wide range of regional peace and stability issues, including maritime security, cross-border challenges, peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"In this regard, we look forward to even stronger strategic coordination between the two countries, enabling them to contribute more effectively to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity across the region", shared the Ambassador.

Over three decades of Viet Nam-South Korea relations

Regarding the bilateral ties, Choi said, since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992, Viet Nam and South Korea have advanced from friends to indispensable partners.

The elevation of the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 marked a historic turning point, consolidating political trust, expanding economic cooperation, and deepening people-to-people exchanges.

Politically, intensified high-level exchanges have reinforced trust and enhanced policy coordination. General Secretary To Lam's recent state visit to Korea, the first by a foreign leader under the new Korean administration, vividly demonstrated how importantly Korea esteems Viet Nam in its bilateral relations.

Economic ties have become a cornerstone of the partnership. In 2024, bilateral trade reached US$86.7 billion, while Korean FDI into Viet Nam surged by 37.5 percent from 2023 to US$7 billion. Korea is now Viet Nam's largest investor, while Viet Nam has become Korea's top investment destination in Southeast Asia. Both countries rank among each other's top three trading partners, with a shared goal of raising trade to US$150 billion by 2030 in a mutually beneficial way.

People-to-people exchanges have flourished as well. In 2024, more than five million travelers moved between the two countries, with Korean tourists constituting the largest group of foreign visitors to Viet Nam.

Nearly 200,000 Koreans reside in Viet Nam and 340,000 Vietnamese in Korea, while more than 100,000 Korean-Vietnamese couples connect the two societies so closely that the relationship is often described as that of "in-laws."

Cultural affinity, the popularity of Korean content, and the rapid spread of Korean-language learning among Vietnamese youth continue to deepen this bond.

Four strategic priorities in bilateral relationship

The Ambassador said, building on these remarkable achievements, both countries are charting an even more ambitious course for the future. Looking ahead, cooperation will be guided by four strategic priorities.

First, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam are firmly committed to further strengthening strategic dialogue in the fields of diplomacy, security, and defense. Above all, the continued exchange of high-level visits is vital for consolidating the political trust that underpins the bilateral relationship. Building on this solid foundation, both nations will also seek to broaden collaboration in the defense industry and public security.

Second, as highlighted by both leaders, the two countries will deepen economic and industrial cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, high-tech industries, renewable energy, critical minerals, smart cities, finance, and digital transformation.

This cooperation will be strengthened through Korea's development cooperation programs, experience sharing, and workforce training, laying a firm foundation for sustainable growth.

Third, the two countries will further strengthen cooperation in science, technology, and innovation, elevating it into a key pillar of the bilateral partnership. Focus areas will include semiconductors, AI, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.

The Viet Nam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) and university–industry partnerships will serve as hubs for joint research, testing, and commercialization, supported by coordinated programs to nurture skilled talent.

Last but not least, the two countries will broaden cooperation in culture, sports, tourism, media, and people-to-people exchanges to foster deeper mutual understanding.

Tourism exchanges will be promoted, collaboration in the cultural and entertainment sectors will be reinforced, and dedicated support will be extended to facilitate the smooth social integration of Korean–Vietnamese families./.