South Korean president welcomed with 21-gun salute in Vietnam
Friday, June 23, 2023, 10:30 GMT+7
Vietnam fired a 21-gun salute to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hanoi on Friday morning.
Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong chaired a welcome ceremony for his South Korean counterpart, who arrived in the capital city of Vietnam on Thursday to begin his first state visit of his tenure to the Southeast Asian country.
The ceremony was held at 9:00 am at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.
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| South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is welcomed with a 21-gun salute in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Tuan Huy / Tuoi Tre |
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| Children wave the flags of Vietnam and South Korea to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse are pictured at the welcome ceremony for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
After the Vietnamese president and his spouse welcomed the South Korean president and first lady, the two leaders had talks.
The South Korean leader’s visit to Vietnam, which is the first Southeast Asian nation he has visited since taking office in May 2022, came a few months after Vietnam and South Korea upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December last year.
Yoon is set to meet Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on Friday.
The top South Korean official and Prime Minister Chinh will also sit in on the Vietnam – South Korea Business Forum on Friday afternoon.
Over 200 South Korean firms are accompanying the Eastern Asian nation’s president during his trip to Vietnam.
Vietnam is South Korea’s third-largest trade partner, after the United States and China. The two nations aim for two-way trade of US$100 billion in 2023.
Last year, bilateral trade totaled $87 billion.
Meanwhile, South Korea is the biggest investor in Vietnam, with a value of $82 billion.
President Yoon affirmed that Vietnam is one of the lynchpins in South Korea’s Indian Ocean – Pacific Ocean development strategy.
The South Korean official appreciated Vietnam for its role as a coordinator of the ASEAN – South Korea ties, expecting his visit to elevate the relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024.
Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic ties in 1992.
Vietnamese Party General Secretary Trong sent a congratulatory message to Yoon on winning the presidential election in March last year.
In June 2022, the two top officials had a phone talk after Yoon was sworn into office.
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| Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong (R) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend the welcome ceremony for the latter in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong (R) shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, his spouse Phan Thi Thanh Tam (R), South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L, 2nd), and his spouse Kim Keon Hee pose for a photo in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Before the welcome ceremony, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and some high-ranking officials visited Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. Photo: Vietnam News Agency |
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| South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his spouse bend and pay their respects to late President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, June 23, 2023. Photo: Vietnam News Agency |
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