The two sides broadly discussed ways to expand practical cooperation in advanced fields including semiconductors, artificial intelligence and smart cities.
According to Vietnam’s government official newspaper, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung met South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon on the morning of the 22nd (local time) at the government headquarters in Vietnam. Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh, along with officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, also attended.
◆ "Science and technology is a new pillar showing early results"
Ho said the visit was significant for maintaining and advancing the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership across all areas. He said cooperation in science and technology has produced positive early results and is emerging as a new pillar of cooperation.
He said he hoped the visit would become “new momentum” to deepen ties in a more substantive and effective direction.
Ho said Vietnam is focused on implementing national strategic goals for a new stage of development and wants to further strengthen cooperation with South Korea in a spirit of trust, partnership and shared development. He asked South Korea to continue exchanges of delegations at various levels, including senior officials, and to pursue balanced, sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Ho also urged South Korean companies to increase new investment in Vietnam and expand their operations. He highlighted priority areas including infrastructure development, advanced electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, big data, biotechnology and smart cities. He said ministries and agencies should closely coordinate to run cooperation mechanisms efficiently and turn policy agreements into concrete projects that deliver results.
Bae said the two countries held a joint science and technology committee meeting earlier this month and discussed drafting a comprehensive cooperation plan in the field. He said the meeting would provide an important foundation for expanding cooperation in a range of areas.
He said many major South Korean companies “highly value Vietnam’s development potential and excellent human resources,” adding that cooperation is also expanding in areas such as agriculture, workforce training and official development assistance projects.
Bae pointed to the potential of Vietnam’s young workforce and said he hoped to strengthen cooperation in key areas the South Korean government is prioritizing, including AI and the semiconductor industry.
He particularly emphasized expanding the role of the Korea-Vietnam Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST). Calling VKIST a model case of bilateral cooperation, he said he hoped it would continue to develop and become a symbol of cooperation between the two countries.
South Korea pledged to actively support and coordinate the efficient implementation of VKIST-related projects. The plan is to develop VKIST beyond a research facility into a hub for cooperation between companies in both countries, while also building it into a platform to jointly develop training programs in areas such as software and AI.
Bae said the cooperation has already involved multiple exchanges at the ministerial and department levels, adding he was confident more concrete activities would lead to shared goals and tangible results.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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