NA Chairman’s visits to RoK, India to promote Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese NA departed Hanoi on December 12 morning for official visits to the Republic of Korea (RoK) and India.

The visits running from December 12-19, are being made at the invitations of Speaker of the Korean National Assembly Park Byeong-seug, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (House of Representatives) of India Om Birla, and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) of India Venkaiah Naidu.

The top Vietnamese legislator is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai; Secretary General of the NA and Head of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong; Chairman of the NA Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha; and Head of the NA Standing Committee’s Board for Deputy Affairs and President of the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association Nguyen Thi Thanh.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung; Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Tran Hong Ha; Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung; and Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Nguyen Vu Tung also joined the delegation.

The official visit to the RoK and India by NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and his delegation is viewed as an opportunity for Vietnam to continue carrying out multilateral diplomatic activities in combination with bilateral cooperation, and parliamentary and state diplomacy under the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, which highlights Vietnam's active international integration towards maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and constantly improving the nation's international profile.

The trips affirm Vietnam's willingness to work with the RoK and India to open a new period of more substantive and effective relations in a multitude of fields, especially cooperation in post-COVID-19 economic recovery, security and defence and people-to-people exchanges.

The  visits also demonstrate the Vietnamese NA's efforts in promoting foreign affairs as a  contribution to the implementation of the Party and State's external policy in which Vietnam is a friend, a reliable partner of the RoK and India, and supports the role of both nations in the region and in the world. Vietnam is ​willing to cooperate with other countries to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Vietnam and the RoK will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2022. Currently, the is one of the leading important partners of Vietnam, ranking first in terms of investment, with total registered capital of US$72.35 billion, and 9,100 valid projects.

The Northeastern Asian nation is the second largest official development assistance (ODA) provider of Vietnam, offering US$1.5 billion in the 2016-2020.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam-RoK trade hit US$ 56.4 billion during the first nine months of 2021, representing a year-on-year rise of 18.7%.

It is also the second major labour market of Vietnam and the two sides renewed a memorandum of understanding on the issue this year.

The RoK is a significant source of tourists for Vietnam and the tourism cooperation is expected rebound in the time to come.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam - India comprehensive strategic partnership is growing well across multiple fields, especially politics, defence - security and economy and trade.

The two countries are actively implementing the Action Program to dploy the comprehensive strategic partnership for the 2021-2023 period. India is one of the 10 largest trading partners of Vietnam.

Bilateral trade turnover still remains at a positive level, reaching US$ 9.67 billion in 2020 and nearly US$11 billion during the past ten months of this year.

India has provided medical equipment to Vietnam during the recent COVID-19 outbreak and will continue to donate COVID-19 vaccines, and treatment drugs to the Southeast Asian nation in the near future.