RoK seeks to import Vietnamese lychees and passion fruit, promote agricultural cooperation

On the sidelines of the APEC Food Security Ministers' Meeting, South Korea’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) Song Miryung and Vietnam’s Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang held an open discussion focusing on specific measures to promote bilateral cooperation in agriculture, rural development, and agricultural trade.

At the start of the meeting, Minister Song Miryung expressed her deep impression of her visit to Vietnam last March, when she went to Hai Duong, joined in harvesting carrots, drank carrot juice, and talked with local farmers. She emphasized her desire to strengthen cooperation through high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang expressed his regret that, at the time, he was serving as Party Secretary of Hai Duong Province and had scheduling commitments, so he could not personally welcome her. He congratulated Minister Song Miryung on successfully chairing the APEC Food Security Ministers’ Meeting, especially the morning session of the same day, and thanked the South Korean side for the warm reception extended to the Vietnamese delegation.

He affirmed that, with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries and over 30 years of close ties, Vietnam wishes to promote cooperation further, especially as South Korea is currently the largest investor in Vietnam and bilateral trade has reached a high level.

Minister Song Miryung stated that South Korea is ready to connect businesses if Vietnam introduces potential sectors. She noted that, in agriculture, South Korea regularly organizes exhibitions and seminars to connect producers and importers. This past April, South Korea held an exhibition and invited Vietnamese businesses to participate; this August, 32 Korean companies will attend a food exhibition in Vietnam; and in November, the K-Food Fair will take place with the participation of many Korean enterprises.

She recalled that the two sides had agreed to open their markets for Korean melons and Vietnamese pomelos since April last year. At present, she is particularly interested in Vietnamese lychees and passion fruit, and proposed exchanging these two fruits for South Korean unshu mandarins and kiwis. In addition, she expressed the desire to expedite the opening of markets for processed chicken meat from both sides.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang agreed with the proposal, stating that within this year, the Ministry’s specialized agencies would work with MAFRA to review products that could be promoted for market access. He emphasized that Vietnam is reforming administrative procedures, particularly for goods from South Korea, to create the most favorable conditions. He also suggested exploring additional new products, such as processed chicken meat (procedures already completed, with an announcement to be made soon) and certain other livestock products.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang further proposed establishing an annual dialogue mechanism between the two ministries to address barriers and promote cooperation promptly. Regarding the project to strengthen the sesame value chain, he hoped the South Korean side would provide support for its early implementation.

Minister Song Miryung affirmed that she would discuss this matter with Korean businesses, especially those in the processing and seed sectors.

Also at the meeting, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang noted that South Korea’s ODA projects in Vietnam have been implemented effectively in recent years. He hoped Minister Song would encourage Korean enterprises to continue investing in Vietnam’s agriculture, especially during major exhibitions in August and November. He also introduced Vietnam’s newly inaugurated Exhibition Center, ranked among the world’s top 10 in terms of size, technology, and space, and invited Korean businesses to register for participation.

Minister Song Miryung affirmed that South Korea would continue supporting Vietnam in developing agriculture and rural areas.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang emphasized that the potential for cooperation between the two ministries remains significant, expressing his hope that both sides would be determined to carry out activities to advance relations. He referred to the discussions at the APEC meeting on the application of smart agricultural technology and artificial intelligence, identifying this as a new area for cooperation, and hoped that South Korea would share its experience.

He also proposed learning from South Korea’s successful Saemaul Undong new rural development movement and requesting continued ODA support, including grants and concessional loans, to develop Vietnam’s rural infrastructure.

To concretize cooperation, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang proposed that the two ministries develop an Action Plan for the 2026 - 2030 period, with each side’s Department of International Cooperation serving as the focal point for implementation. He expressed his wish to personally welcome Minister Song Miryung and accompany her on a visit to the Exhibition Center in Vietnam.

Minister Song Miryung affirmed that the bilateral relationship has been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and that the two ministries should further strengthen cooperation in various areas to enhance the value and effectiveness of their collaboration.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang expressed his confidence that, with Minister Song Miryung’s attention and guidance, cooperation between the two ministries will be taken to a new level, contributing to the advancement of agricultural and rural relations between Vietnam and South Korea.