RoK, Vietnam strengthen friendship
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has arrived in Seoul to attend the “Vietnam Week in the Republic of Korea (RoK)” from December 6-9.
The visit, the first by a Vietnamese Foreign Minister since 2005, was at the invitation of the RoK Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kim Sung-hwan.
Minh, on December 6, attended the opening ceremony of the painting exhibition “Vietnam-Four Seasons”, which was jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in RoK, CheilJedang (CJ) Cooperation and Lotus art gallery in Seoul on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The ceremony drew the attendance of Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Trong Toan, representatives of RoK Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism, CJ Cooperation and numerous guests from the two countries.
Speaking at the event, Toan stressed that it is a special event that begins Vietnam Week in RoK with abundant activities to enhance exchanges, tighten solidarity and friendship between Vietnam-RoK.
He also expressed his hope that the excellent works at the exhibition will help RoK people understand more about Vietnamese people and cultures, strengthening mutual understandings, friendly relations and cooperation between peoples of the two nations.
In the last 20 years, friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and RoK have developed comprehensively to become a strategic partnership based on similarities in history, cultures and their common goals to build a prosperous, peaceful and stable country.
Woo Jin-yong, Assistant Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Director of Korean Culture and Information Service, affirmed the exhibition is an excellent opportunity to promote friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations.
On the same day, Minh received leaders of the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association and Chairman of the association of people loving Vietnam in RoK, Park Kwang-joo.
At the reception, Minh praised the achievements of the two associations in developing friendly cooperative ties between the two nations over the past time.
Minh also expressed his hope that with the efforts by both Governments, the two associations will continue their social role and assist Vietnamese residents in the RoK to enhance cross cultural exchanges and reinforce the strategic partnership between Vietnam–RoK.