PANO - Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Lee Hyuk and his spouse on October 3 evening hosted a party in Hanoi in celebration of the Republic of Korea’s National Foundation Day (October 3, 2333 BC).

Minister, Chairman of the Governmental Office Mai Tien Dung; Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung; Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan; representatives from ministries and departments at the central and local levels; friendship organizations; businessmen; and Korean nationals in Vietnam attended the event.

In his speech, the Korean Ambassador reviewed RoK’s development highlighting recent important achievements. He highly appreciated RoK-Vietnam ties, stressing that the two countries’ frequent exchanges of delegations at all levels have helped boost mutual understanding and bilateral cooperation.

Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Van Khoa speaking at the ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City

The ambassador also emphasized that RoK has always been one of the biggest economic partners of Vietnam over the past years. Especially, since the two countries lifted their ties to a strategic partnership, their relations have been continuously developing in a wider, deeper and more practical manner, and they have become each other’s important partner in various fields, especially in economic cooperation. Notably, the two sides have agreed to bring the two-way trade turnover to US $70 billion by 2020.

More than 130,000 Vietnamese are now living, working and studying in RoK and dozens of thousands of Korean nationals are living and working in Vietnam. These communities in each country have been carrying out a number of practical activities in contribution to their homeland’s development and to the two countries’ friendship. They have also supported each other and promoted their traditional culture and national identities.

Also on October 3 evening, Korean Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City organized a ceremony to celebrate the 4348th anniversary of RoK’s National Foundation Day.

On behalf of Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities and people, Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Van Khoa congratulated the Korean General Consulate and Korean nationals living and working in the city on the day. He stressed that Vietnam-RoK’s relationship has ever developed in a positive and strong manner now. RoK has so far been the third largest investor in the city with more than 1,250 projects with total investment capital of US $4.3 billion. Noticeably, in the first eight months of this year, the city welcomed over 24,000 Korean visitors.

For his part, Korean Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Park Noh-wan underscored the fruitful ties between the two countries, including the relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Korean localities, adding that those ties have been continuously fostered in different fields such as culture, economy, education and healthcare.

Translated by Mai Huong