Vietnam’s top leader to make 1st South Korea visit in 11 years

To Lam, general secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party and the country’s de facto ruling leader, is expected to make a state visit to South Korea next month, according to diplomatic and business sources on Wednesday.

The trip would mark the first visit by a foreign head of state under Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s administration and the first by a Vietnamese communist party chief in more than a decade, underscoring the deepening economic and diplomatic ties between Seoul and Hanoi.

Mr. Lam, who ranks highest in Vietnam’s political hierarchy, is expected to hold a summit meeting with President Lee after arriving in Seoul on Aug. 10.

He is also expected to have a series of business meetings with the chiefs of major Korean conglomerates, including Samsung and SK, which have significant manufacturing and investment operations in Vietnam.

The last visit to Korea by a Vietnamese Communist Party leader was in 2014, when then-party chief Nguyen Phu Trong met with former President Park Geun-hye in Seoul and made a rare stop at Samsung Electronics Co.'s headquarters to meet with Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, also known internationally as Jay Y. Lee.

Samsung Electronics now operates its largest smartphone production facilities in Vietnam, underscoring the strategic importance of bilateral economic ties.

According to a Korean official, Mr. Lam's upcoming itinerary in Korea is nearly finalized, set for meetings with high-profile corporate leaders.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and Samsung’s Lee have maintained close ties with the Vietnamese government. Last year, they visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul to pay their respects following the death of former Communist Party leader, Trong.

Lam was elected as the new General Secretary of the Communist Party last year after the passing of Trong.

DEEPENING TIES BETWEEN SEOUL AND HANOI



Korea’s President Lee spoke by phone with Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong, the country’s second-ranking official, just eight days after taking office, following his victory in the June 3 snap presidential election.

During the call, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the countries. Discussions included potential cooperation in the high-speed rail and nuclear energy sectors.

Economic relations between the two nations have deepened in recent years.

As of 2024, South Korea ranked as Vietnam’s third-largest export destination and second-largest source of imports.

Bilateral trade totaled $86.7 billion last year, making Vietnam Korea’s third-largest trade partner for three consecutive years after China with $272.9 billion and the US with $199.9 billion, according to Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. 

Asia’s fourth-largest economy exported $55.9 billion worth of goods to Vietnam and imported $25.6 billion in 2024.

Write to Jae-Young Han and Hyung-Kyu Kim at jyhan@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.