Monday, August 11, 2025, 13:49 GMT+7

South Korea holds state welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Party chief To Lam

Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam was welcomed with full honors at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul on Monday, marking the official start of his state visit to South Korea at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung.

The Party chief is accompanied by a high-level Vietnamese delegation.

The visit, running from Sunday to Wednesday, reflects deepening ties between the two countries, which established diplomatic relations in 1992.

To Lam and his spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, were received by President Lee and First Lady Kim Hye Kyung at 9:30 am local time (7:30 am Hanoi time), according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The ceremony featured a 21-gun salute, a military honor guard, and the national anthems of both countries.

President Lee invited the Vietnamese leader to review the honor guard before both leaders introduced their delegations.

A children’s choir performed a welcoming song promoting friendship and solidarity among youth worldwide.

Vietnam and South Korea have developed a broad partnership across politics, trade, investment, defense, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

South Korea is Vietnam’s largest investor and third-largest trading partner, and Hanoi is a top priority partner for Seoul's development assistance.

More than 350,000 Vietnamese citizens live in South Korea, while over 200,000 South Koreans reside in Vietnam, including more than 100,000 multicultural families.

Over 100 localities from both countries maintain sister-city or friendship relations.

The visit underscores Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and active international integration, and supports the implementation of Resolution No. 59 by the Politburo on global integration in the new context, according to the Vietnam News Agency.