At the event. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi, July 24 (VNA) – President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Korea & Vietnam Economic and Cultural Association (KOVECA) and economic organisations of RoK to encourage the Republic of Korea's businesses to increase investment in Vietnam, especially in the fields of high technology, renewable energy, environmentally friendly industires and technological transfer.

He made the suggestion at a reception for visiting KOVECA Chairman Kim Kill-soo in Hanoi on July 23.

The President also urged the association to coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnamese agencies and localities in organising many activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties.

There are about 200,000 Vietnamese people living in RoK and vice versa. The State leader said that this is an important bridge to promote  the friendship relations between the people of the two countries. He called on the association to coordinate with the Vietnamese Ambassador to RoK to support and protect Vietnamese people who are living, working and studying in the country, suggesting that KOVECA and other RoK culture, art, and sports organisation should enhance cooperation with Vietnamese partners to deepen people-to-people exchanges and bilateral collaboration.

The President said that economic cooperation is always a bright spot in Vietnam-RoK ties, achieving many outstanding results.

RoK has always been the leading investor in Vietnam with nearly 80 billion USD. Trade turnover between the two countries also reached nearly 80 billion USD, which is expected to increase to 100 billion USD next year, he said, adding that the two countries have also cooperated well in the fields of official development assistance (ODA), labour and tourism.

He emphasised the important contributions of the KOVECA with many activities to promote cooperation with the Association for Liaison with overseas Vietnamese as well as the organisation of the Korea-Vietnam Cooperation Forum in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi from July 22 to 24.

For his part, the KOVECA Chairman said more and more Korean enterprises are interested in investing in Vietnam, adding that they want to pour capital into the development of projects in the Red River area with the expectation of making it like the miracle of the Han River in the RoK.

Representatives of a number of Korean associations att൲ending the meeting also hoped that the two countries would promote cooperation in the fields of waste and wastewater treatment, employment, and sports exchange./.