National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man meets Vietnamese community in South Korea

As part of his official visit to South Korea, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his spouse met with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in South Korea in Seoul on the afternoon of September 6.

Speaking at the meeting, on behalf of the Party and State leadership, Chairman Tran Thanh Man extended his best wishes for good health and warm sentiments from home to Embassy officials and staff and the Vietnamese community in South Korea.

He also conveyed the regards and best wishes for good health from General Secretary and President To Lam, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu to Vietnamese people living, studying and working in South Korea.

The National Assembly Chairman praised the efforts of the Embassy, Vietnamese associations and the wider community in building a united and stable community, contributing positively to the host country while maintaining strong ties with Viet Nam. He noted that the Vietnamese community in South Korea is one of the country's largest overseas Vietnamese communities and is playing an increasingly important role in relations between the two countries.

Briefing the community on Viet Nam's socio-economic development, Chairman Tran Thanh Man said economic growth reached approximately 8.18 per cent in the first six months of the year, while total import and export turnover stood at around US$770 billion in the first eight months. The scale of the economy continued to expand.

Social welfare policies had been implemented comprehensively, with greater attention being paid to low-income people, policy beneficiaries and those facing difficult circumstances. Viet Nam is also focusing on building a clean and strong Party and political system and continuing to streamline its organisational apparatus to improve its performance and effectiveness.

At the same time, national defence and security continue to be maintained, while foreign affairs and international integration have been strengthened. Viet Nam's position and prestige in the international arena continue to rise.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that the achievements Viet Nam has made have received important contributions from more than 6 million Vietnamese living abroad. The Vietnamese community in South Korea, he noted, has carried out numerous practical activities contributing to national development and promoting friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Viet Nam aims to become a developing country with upper-middle income status by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045. To realise these goals, alongside domestic resources, the support and contributions of Vietnamese people overseas are of great importance.

Turning to Viet Nam-South Korea relations, Chairman Tran Thanh Man said political, trade, investment, cultural, defence and security ties between the two countries were developing positively. South Korea is currently Viet Nam's largest foreign direct investor, the second-largest partner in development cooperation and tourism, and the third-largest trade partner. He said there remains considerable room for further cooperation, particularly in fields with high technological content and added value.

A number of South Korean businesses and conglomerates are interested in investing in Viet Nam in areas including nuclear power, energy, high-speed rail and large-scale infrastructure projects. During the current visit to South Korea, many corporations and businesses have registered to hold meetings and expressed interest in expanding their investment in Viet Nam.

According to the National Assembly Chairman, to improve the effectiveness of investment attraction from South Korea, Viet Nam needs to focus on technology transfer, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property and the training of high-quality human resources.

The goal is to establish a model of cooperation in which South Korea contributes capital, technology and management experience, while Viet Nam brings its advantages in production locations, human resources and market access, thereby creating supply chains with increasingly deeper participation from Vietnamese businesses.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man said the development of technology and supply chains and markets, as well as the promotion of the role of the Vietnamese community in South Korea, should become priorities of parliamentary diplomacy.

The Vietnamese community in South Korea currently numbers approximately 400,000 people and is increasingly diverse, comprising women married into multicultural families, workers, interns, students, as well as a large number of scientists, professors, technology experts and businesspeople.

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Vu Ho affirmed that the community continues to uphold the traditions of solidarity and mutual support, helping one another prosper, preserve national identity and maintain close ties with the homeland. The community also makes active contributions to national construction and defence and serves as a bridge strengthening friendship between Viet Nam and South Korea.

At the meeting, representatives of the Vietnamese community in South Korea affirmed their continued commitment to the homeland and expressed their pride in the country's strong development and increasingly prominent position in the international arena.

They pledged to continue promoting solidarity and mutual support, complying with the laws of the host country, preserving the image of Vietnamese people and serving as a strong bridge to further advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and South Korea.

Mr. Dao Tuan Hung, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in South Korea, proposed that the National Assembly continue reviewing and improving regulations on nationality to facilitate procedures for Vietnamese people overseas. He also called for specific policies and mechanisms and streamlined administrative procedures to attract and encourage overseas Vietnamese experts, high-tech scientists and businesspeople in South Korea to participate in technology transfer, research cooperation and investment in the country's priority sectors.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Vietnamese Business Association in South Korea Ngo Thi proposed establishing trade and technology-transfer programmes connecting domestic businesses with overseas Vietnamese, with a focus on digital transformation, high technology and start-ups, as well as establishing regular dialogue channels between ministries, agencies, the Embassy and the business community, and an information-support focal point to address practical trade and business challenges.

In response to issues raised by the community, Chairman Tran Thanh Man said the Politburo had issued Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW on August 2 on work concerning Vietnamese people overseas. The resolution tasks the Government and National Assembly with researching and promulgating specific policies and regulations for the Vietnamese community abroad.

He said the opinions and recommendations raised by the Vietnamese community in South Korea would provide important input for relevant authorities as they continue to study and improve policies.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on the Vietnamese community in South Korea to continue promoting solidarity, complying with the laws of the host country, and actively studying, working, producing and doing business, thereby contributing to South Korea's development as well as friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and South Korea.

He also urged the community to preserve the Vietnamese language, national cultural identity and traditional values, while paying attention to educating younger generations, particularly children in Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families.

Source: VNA