Hanoi (VNA) – President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) YoonSuk Yeol, his spouse and the high-ranking delegation of the country left Hanoi atnoon on June 24, wrapping up a three-day State visit to Vietnam at theinvitation of President Vo Van Thuong.

During the trip, President Yoon engaged in many important activities,including paying tribute to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh at themausoleum in Hanoi; making a courtesy call on Party General Secretary Nguyen PhuTrong; attending an official welcome ceremony with a 21-gun salute hosted by,the talks with, and a press meeting together with President Thuong; andwitnessing the exchange of many cooperation documents.

He also had meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and NationalAssembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

President Yoon and PM Chinh took part in a Vietnam - RoK businessforum which attracted officials of the two countries and over 500 representativesof associations and enterprises from both sides.

In addition, the RoK leader also visited and talked to studentsof the Faculty of Korean Language and Culture at the University ofLanguages and International Studies under the Vietnam National University,Hanoi; met with 300 people representing the Korean community in Vietnam; andhad a meeting with Korean businesses investing here.

Meanwhile, his spouse visited some places ofthe Vietnamese culture and history.

PresidentYoon’s trip is his first State visit to Vietnam, which is also the first inSoutheast Asia to welcome him since he took office in May 2022. It is animportant landmark that will create a new impetus for bilateral cooperation inall key aspects.

On June 24 morning,the President visited the research and development (R&D) centre of Samsung Electronics in Hanoi, according to his office.

The 220million USD centre, opened last December, is the largest R&D establishmentof the Korean technology giant in Southeast Asia.

Talking to about 50young experts in digital technology of both countries, he said Vietnam and theRoK have developed from partners in manufacturing into important R&Dpartners of each other. He also pledged to actively support the countries’researches to create innovation and technology values and expand the capacitybuilding programme for future generations.

The trip to theR&D centre of Samsung Electronics was the lastactivity of his State visit to Vietnam.

On June 23evening, President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse hosted a banquet in honour ofRoK President Yoon Suk Yeol and his spouse at the International Convention Centrein Hanoi.

In his remarks, President Thuong highlighted the start of thetwo countries’ relations over 800 years ago, noting that they have now becomepartners of leading importance of each other and are supporting each other forcommon development.

He held that the upgrade of bilateral ties to a comprehensivestrategic partnership has begun a new journey with a longer vision and highertargets. The visit by President Yoon holds great significance to the journeythat both countries will join.

The host leader stressed that amid fast and complicated changesin the international and regional situation, the enhancement of bilateralrelations matches the aspirations and interests of the two peoples and alsopractically contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation, andprosperous development in the region and the world at large.

For his part, President Yoon noted Vietnam and the RoK have strongbonds via people-to-people exchanges, and that it is their peoples who will makethe two countries become more connected with each other and herald an evenbrighter future.

Together with the thriving trade and investment links, the largenumbers of Korean and Vietnamese people living in each other’s countries alsoserve as an important bridge helping lift bilateral ties to a new level, he opined.

Earlier on June 23, thespouses of the two Presidents, Phan Thi Thanh Tam and KimKeon Hee, enjoyed a show of “ao dai”, a traditional costume of Vietnamesepeople, and performances of the host country’s traditional music. Lady Kim alsointroduced hanbok, the traditional costume of the RoK, to her host.

The State visit toVietnam by President Yoon has grabbed the attention of the media in the RoK onrecent days.

The Chosun Ilbo daily reported that hispredecessors, including Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak, and ParkGeun-hye, also paid homage to late President of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh duringtheir trips to Vietnam.

The Yonhap News Agency cited Lee Do-woon, Spokesman of theRoK President, as saying that President Yoon met with Secretary of theCommunist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong on June 23 and discussed measuresfor developing the countries’ relations.

Media outlets of the RoK also covered the meeting betweenPresident Yoon and PM Chinh, noting that this was their second meeting in amonth, following the one on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan,in May. The session between the RoK leader and National Assembly Chairman VuongDinh Hue also attracted the press.

Besides, the Korean media reported that 111 memoranda ofunderstanding on business partnerships in 20 fields were signed during thevisit.

They said the presence of leaders of the largest enterprisesof the RoK like Executive Chairman of Samsung Electronics LeeJae-yong, Chairman of the SK Group Choi Tae-won who is currentlyChairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman ofHyundai Motor Chung Eui-sun, and Chairman of the LG Group Koo Kwang-mo,along with heads of economic organisations was believed to be a guarantee ofthe economic targets aimed at during President Yoon’s visit./.