Hanoi (VNA) ✱– The Embassyof the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam held a ceremony on December 1 to celebratethe RoK’s 77th National Liberation Day (August 15) and the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (December 22).

Addressing the event, PermanentDeputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said he is impressed with the RoK’ssocio-economic achievements over the past years. He said 30 years are not a longperiod but thanks to the resolve and efforts by generations of the twocountries’ leaders and people, on the basis of cultural similarities,geographical proximity, economic complementarities, and common strategic interests,Vietnam and the RoK have become leading partners of each other. Looking towards the future, thereremains huge potential for bilateral relations to develop intensively andextensively given the demand for post-pandemic economic recovery and globaltrends like digital transformation and green growth, he opined. Vietnam has devised its developmentstrategy with big socio-economic targets for 2030, with a vision to 2045, whilethe RoK also looks to become a leading country, which shows that there is much room for both sidesto enhance cooperation during the realisation of theirdevelopment targets, Minh added. The Deputy PM called on the twocountries to continue with efforts to strengthen ties in all fields, both bilaterallyand multilaterally, so that their relations will develop more strongly andreach a new height. During the up-coming State-level visit of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the RoK, the two countries' leaders will discuss and define a new framework for their relations along with goals and development directions of bilateral ties in the next stage, he said.   He voiced his belief that the year2022 not only marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties butalso forms an important milestone opening up a new development stage inbilateral connections. With the solid foundation of their relations, Vietnamand the RoK will together move forwards, remain important and trustworthy partners,and jointly achieve even greater attainments in their ties for the sake of thetwo peoples. For her part, RoK Ambassador OhYoung-ju said Vietnam is a leading partner of her country in the enhancement ofsolidarity with ASEAN and the building of a free, peaceful, and prosperousIndo-Pacific region. The two countries are preparing forthe next 30 years of cooperation, she said, suggesting that basing on theexisting partnership in manufacturing, they should expand their links to digitaltransformation, the realisation of the carbon neutrality target, and economicsecurity. They should also bolster diplomaticand defence cooperation since regional and international peace is aprerequisite for stability and prosperity. Collaboration should also be enhancedin the settlement of disputes and international issues such as climate change,the diplomat said. She added Korean expatriates also playan important role in bilateral ties, and it’s time for the two sides to worktogether so that the Korean community in Vietnam can make greater contributionsto the Southeast Asian nation./.