Leaders of Nghe An province meet with leaders of South Korea’s Gyeonggi

Overall view of the meeting. Photo: Thanh Huyen

Mr. Nguyen Nam Dinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Nghe An Province led the working delegation. It also included leaders from the Department of Foreign Affairs and relevant units.

The delegation was received by Mr. Yom Jong-Hyun - Chairman of the Gyeonggido Assembly; Mr. Moon Hyung Kun - Head of the Nghe An Friendship Group; Mr. Lee Young Hee - Deputy Head of the Nghe An Friendship Group; Mr. Kim Jong Seog - Secretary-General of the of Nghe An Friendship Group, and other relevant members.

Gyeonggi is the most populous province in South Korea. Gyeonggi, along with Seoul and Incheon, are collectively referred to as the Seoul Metropolitan Area. It has an area of 11,730 km² and a population of 22,766,850 people (2005), accounting for 48% of the national population. It is the most politically, economically, and culturally significant region in South Korea.

Leaders of Nghe An and Gyonggi province talk during their meeting. Photo: Thanh Huyen

Gyeonggi province serves as the backbone of the Seoul Metropolitan Area and has the most advanced economy in South Korea. It is home to various industries such as heavy industry, textile manufacturing, livestock farming, fisheries, information technology, tourism, etc. Gyeonggi is also renowned for its local products, particularly Incheon’s rice and Incheon/Gwangju’s ceramics. Moreover, it is the base for global information technology conglomerates, including Samsung's semiconductor compound in Suwon, Paju's, LG LCD Complex, and Incheon's SK Hynix.

With such characteristics, Gyeonggi is also the place where a large number of Vietnamese and people from Nghe An come to live and work.

In his speech during the working session, Mr. Nguyen Nam Dinh emphasized that Vietnam always values and enhances the Comprehensive Partnership with South Korea. After more than 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, cooperation between the two countries has been developing in various fields including diplomacy, trade, investment, tourism, culture, education, sports, etc. Specifically, cooperation between the legislative bodies and local elected agencies of the two countries has also been highly regarded.

The delegates take a tour of the Gyonggido Assembly building. Photo: T.H

Nghe An, the homeland of the President Ho Chi Minh, is a large province in Vietnam, with the largest area and the fourth-largest population. It ranks among the top 10 out of 63 localities in terms of economic scale and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam. Currently, there are 23 South Korean FDI projects in Nghe An, and this number is expected to continue to increase significantly in the future. The import-export turnover between Nghe An and South Korea accounts for 21% of the province's total import-export turnover.

The leaders of the two provinces exchange presents. Photo: T.H

Since 2005, Nghe An’s Vinh City and Gyeonggi’s Namyangju City have established a cooperative relationship. Nghe An and Gyeonggi signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish cooperative relations in 2009 and 2014. Over the years, the two provinces have engaged in various activities, exchanges, as well as cooperation in investment, trade, tourism, culture, sports, and education.

The delegates take a group photo. Photo: T.H

During the working session, the leaders of the two provinces discussed and exchanged views on various issues aimed at further enhancing and promoting the development of their cooperative relationship in the future.