President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang held a summit for 40 minutes this morning on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam. The two Presidents agreed to further advance a Korea-Vietnam strategic partnership, marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

Notably, they concurred on the need to increase visits by senior-level government officials, including the heads of state, between the two countries and expand interactions of local governments and the private sector in both nations.

President Moon noted that Vietnam has emerged as Korea’s fourth largest trade and investment destination while Korea has become Vietnam’s third largest trading partner and its biggest investor in the 25 years since diplomatic ties were established. He went on to propose the two countries aggressively seek to achieve the bilateral trade goal of US$100 billion, agreed upon between Korea and Vietnam last year, by 2020.

President Moon said the two countries had one thing in common; they both rose above the suffering inflicted by colonial rule and accomplished economic growth. He went on to express the hope Vietnam would pull off a miracle on the Mekong River by sharing Korea’s experience in achieving the Miracle on the Han River.

President Quang said that Vietnam regarded the partnership with Korea important and that Korea was a top priority in his country`s diplomatic agenda. He also said he expected remarkable achievements to be made continuously in all sectors between the two nations. 

In reply, President Moon expressed his appreciation for Vietnam`s continued support for the Korean Government`s stance concerning the North Korean nuclear issue. Noting that a peaceful resolution of the issue matters the most, the President said he hoped Vietnam would actively back the goal with the rest of ASEAN.   

President Quang said the Vietnamese Government supported the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and would faithfully implement the U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions. 

The two countries agreed on exporting defense equipment, expanding bilateral business investments, and protecting the rights and interests of the two countries’ citizens, including multicultural families.   

President Moon asked President Quang to visit Korea soon, and the Vietnamese President promised to do so at the earliest date possible. President Quang also asked President Moon to visit Vietnam again in the near future and wished for the success of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.