MAE signs two cooperation documents with South Korea

On the evening of April 22, following a successful bilateral summit, General Secretary and President To Lam and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung presided over the signing ceremony, during which a broad package of cooperation documents spanning science and technology, agriculture, energy, and intellectual property was formally exchanged - reflecting the comprehensive depth of the two countries' relationship.

The full list of documents signed includes a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation between Viet Nam's Ministry of Public Security and the Presidential Security Service of South Korea; an MOU on strengthening intellectual property cooperation between Viet Nam's Ministry of Science and Technology and South Korea's Ministry of IP; an MOU on digital cooperation between Viet Nam's Ministry of Science and Technology and South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT; and a Framework Master Plan on Science, Technology and Innovation between the same two ministries.

Additional documents covered cultural and heritage cooperation between the two countries' ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the 2026 - 2030 period, as well as a dedicated MOU on underwater heritage. Viet Nam's Ministry of Health and South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety signed an agreement on food safety, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices.

On the agricultural and environmental front, Minister Trinh Viet Hung exchanged two MOUs on behalf of Viet Nam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment - one on animal quarantine cooperation with South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and another on water security cooperation with South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

Rounding out the package were agreements on power infrastructure cooperation between Viet Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, as well as two landmark MOUs between Viet Nam's state energy group PetroVietnam (PVN) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) - one on nuclear power plant development and another on project financing for nuclear energy, also involving the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (KSURE).

The signings came on the heels of substantive summit talks in which both leaders reaffirmed a strategic vision for deeper economic integration. The two sides committed to reaching a bilateral trade target of USD 150 billion by 2030, pledged continued trade facilitation and mutual market access, and agreed to support Vietnamese enterprises in joining South Korean manufacturing supply chains.

General Secretary and President To Lam praised South Korean businesses for their contributions to Viet Nam's socioeconomic development and encouraged further investment in priority sectors including infrastructure, smart cities, semiconductors, large-scale AI data centers, and next-generation seaport development. President Lee Jae Myung, in turn, called on Viet Nam's government to continue addressing obstacles facing Korean investors in the country, and committed to the effective deployment of funds from both the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the Economic Development Promotion Fund (EDPF), with a focus on Viet Nam's strategic infrastructure.

Both leaders also agreed to elevate cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as a core engine of bilateral ties. General Secretary and President To Lam called for accelerated technology research and transfer between the two countries and asked South Korea to continue supporting the Viet Nam - Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST). President Lee expressed full support, saying South Korea stands ready to share expertise in future industries including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy and human resource development, and proposed strengthening connections between the two countries' innovation and startup ecosystems.

Following the welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Party Chief, President To Lam and President Lee hold high-level talks, witness the signing of several cooperation agreements and brief the media on the outcomes of their meeting.

Korea will be able to export heat-treated poultry meat to Viet Nam, as leaders of the two nations agreed on it during their summit in Hanoi, Wednesday, as part of efforts to increase bilateral trade volume.

The agreement, reached between President Lee Jae Myung and Communist Party of Viet Nam General Secretary To Lam, suggests that samgyetang (traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup) and frozen fried chicken will be sold ready-made in Viet Nam amid the global popularity of Korean culinary culture.

This was part of other measures of collaboration discussed during the summit, addressing various sectors including medical devices, railways, artificial intelligence (AI), secondary batteries, intellectual property and cultural content.