SEOUL —  A seminar on strengthening Việt Nam – Republic of Korea (RoK) economic cooperation in the new context was held in Seoul on Tuesday, bringing together policymakers, technology businesses and corporations from both countries to discuss new opportunities for strategic collaboration. 

The seminar, jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy and the Việt Nam Trade Office in the RoK, took place shortly after the state visit to Việt Nam President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse, and was seen as a concrete step toward implementing the strategic cooperation orientations agreed upon by leaders of the two countries. 

In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador Vũ Hồ emphasised that economic cooperation continues to serve as a key pillar of bilateral relations. He stressed the need for both countries to maximise the complementary strengths of their economies and expand collaboration into strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, clean energy, digital transformation and innovation. 

Hồ reaffirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to improving the investment climate, accelerating institutional reforms and accompanying foreign enterprises, including the Korean business community, in their long-term development in Việt Nam. 

He added that the Vietnamese Embassy and Trade Office in the RoK will continue to play an active bridging role in promoting dynamic and flexible economic diplomacy, strengthening connectivity among government agencies, localities and businesses of both countries, and facilitating investment and technology transfer projects. 

At the seminar, many Korean enterprises described Việt Nam as an increasingly attractive investment destination and proposed stronger cooperation in energy transition, digital technology, high-quality human resources training and the development of strategic technology industries. 

Notably, several delegates suggested that nuclear power could emerge as a new strategic area of cooperation, particularly in workforce training, technology transfer and the development of supporting industries. 

A highlight of the event was the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding between the Việt Nam Trade Office and the Việt Nam Office of Science and Technology in the RoK and Korean partners, including KOEN, KNP, G-Tops and Megazone Cloud. The agreements cover cooperation in energy, cloud computing, digital transformation, human resources development and business connectivity, opening up new prospects for further bilateral collaboration. 

The Republic of Korea is currently Việt Nam’s largest foreign direct investor, with cumulative registered investment exceeding $94 billion and more than 10,000 valid projects. Two-way trade turnover reached approximately $89.5 billion last year, marking a year-on-year increase of 9.6 per cent. — VNA/VNS