The visit by Party General Secretary To Lam and his wife comes at the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and his wife, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Party General Secretary To Lam at the National Assembly meeting on 15/2. Photo: Giang Huy

Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic relations on 22/12/1992 and elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022.

As of May 2025, South Korea is Vietnam's largest investor with a total registered capital of 94 billion USD, encompassing 10,203 projects. This represents 23.5% of the total number of projects and 18.1% of the total registered foreign direct investment in Vietnam.

South Korea also ranks second in development cooperation, having pledged 4 billion USD in aid by 2030. Bilateral trade reached 81.5 billion USD in 2024, a 7.3% increase compared to 2023. Vietnam has invested in 112 projects in South Korea with a total capital of 37.4 million USD.

South Korea consistently ranks among the largest tourism markets for Vietnam. In 2024, 4.6 million South Koreans visited Vietnam. During the first five months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed 1.9 million South Korean tourists, making South Korea the second largest tourism market for Vietnam.

Regarding local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, approximately 100 pairs of local relationships have been established between the two countries. The total value of South Korean non-governmental aid to Vietnam from 2023-2024 reached approximately 29.4 million USD, primarily focused on economic and social development, education, training, and addressing social issues. Multicultural families are increasingly serving as a bridge between the people of the two nations.

In 2024, the total number of Vietnamese people living and working in South Korea was approximately 320,000, an increase of 50,000 compared to 2023.

Of this number, nearly 100,000 are international students, over 100,000 are various types of laborers, and more than 40,000 are Vietnamese women married to South Korean men (excluding those who have acquired South Korean citizenship). The remaining individuals are in South Korea for investment cooperation, family visits, or short-term work. The descendants of the Ly Hoa Son and Ly Tinh Thien families are estimated to number around 1,000.

Ngoc Anh