Yoon begins Vietnam visit by promoting industries, K-food

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Yoon begins Vietnam visit by promoting industries, K-food

Published: 22 Jun. 2023, 19:43

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, encourages businesses at a trade consultation booth at the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Fair at a convention center in Hanoi Thursday as he kicked off a three-day state visit to Vietnam. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

HANOI — President Yoon Suk Yeol encouraged young Vietnamese entrepreneurs wishing to enter the Korean market to dream big at an event showcasing Korean businesses and culture as he kicked off a three-day state visit to Hanoi Thursday.

Yoon toured the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Fair held at a convention center in Hanoi, which included the "K-Industry Showcase," where visitors could experience products from major Korean companies, and the "K-Food Festival" to promote Korean food and Korean-Vietnamese fusion culinary delights.

Earlier Thursday, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrived in Hanoi from Paris around noon for a bilateral visit to Vietnam, kicking off the second leg of a six-day, two-country trip accompanied by a 205-member business delegation, his largest ever.

The K-Industry Showcase introduced nine large companies that are household names in Vietnam and five small- and medium-sized companies that are also breaking into the local market, according to the presidential office.

The companies included Hyundai Motor, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hanwha, SK, Lotte, HD Hyundai and Hyosung.

This included showcasing Hyundai's Ioniq 5 electric vehicle, Hanwha's Nuri rocket launch demonstration, LG's Omnipod autonomous driving vehicle and the Okxe platform, an online platform selling used motorcycles in Vietnam.

Yoon also encouraged participants in a "grand startup challenge" event to discover young entrepreneurs in the Asean region who wish to start a business in Korea, stressing the specialized innovation of the young generation through international solidarity.

Other events included a trade consultation segment matching Korean companies interested in entering the Vietnamese market.

Some 100 small- and medium-sized Korean companies, including those in service fields, new technology, smart farms, education technology and consumer goods such as food, cosmetics and clothing took part in the event, alongside around 200 Vietnamese companies.

The fair was organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or Kotra.

Visiting the K-Food Festival stand, Yoon tasted "Kimchi Banh Mi," a Korean take on Vietnam's representative baguette sandwich stuffed with stir-fried kimchi, chatting with Vietnamese youths and inviting them to enjoy a variety of Korean street food as well, said his office.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, gives a thumbs up after tasting tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) at a K-food booth at the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Fair at a convention center in Hanoi Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Immediately after arriving in Hanoi, Yoon held a luncheon with a group of some 300 Koreans living in Vietnam, including Park Hang-seo, the former head coach of the Vietnamese men's national football team.

"Vietnam is a key partner to Korea in fostering an Indo-Pacific region for freedom, peace and prosperity," Yoon said. "My visit to Vietnam today will be the starting point for the next 30 years in bilateral relations."

He noted that Vietnam has a Korean community of 170,000 people, the largest among Asean members.

Likewise, bilateral trade has increased 175 times over the past 30 years, and the number of visitors to each other's countries has grown 2,400 times, he added.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, and first lady Kim Keon-hee meet with Vietnamese students at an event promoting Korean language at Vietnam National University in Hanoi Thursday as he kicked off a three-day state visit to Vietnam. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yoon and first lady Kim later in the day visited the Vietnam National University in Hanoi, attended by around 70 young people, to promote the Korean language.

"I heard that Vietnamese students are very enthusiastic about learning Korean," Yoon said, pledging he will also work with his government to make Korean language education even more accessible.

He was scheduled to have dinner with business leaders and attend other business-related meetings and cultural events during the visit.

On Friday, Yoon is scheduled to hold a bilateral summit with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and meet with other officials.

Yoon is returning a state visit made by then Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Seoul last December, as the two countries marked the 30th anniversary since establishing diplomatic relations in 2022.

This marks his first bilateral visit to an Asean country.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]