At the working session, the delegation heard representatives from Vietnamese ministries share information on the Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership; Vietnam’s policies on developing science and technology, innovation and digital transformation; and cooperation in culture, tourism and exchanges between the younger generations of the two countries. The delegates also discussed several issues of interest, including copyright protection, enforcement of intellectual property rights and brand building.

Le Thi Viet Lam, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said Vietnam wishes to continue building an ecosystem that connects the State, research institutes, universities and businesses, enabling them to share resources and create value. This is also an area in which Vietnam is interested in learning from Korean experience.

Doan Duc Hao, Director of the Department of Youth Affairs and Gender Equality under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said that over more than 10 years of cooperation, nine Vietnamese delegations have visited the RoK and four Korean delegations have visited Vietnam, providing opportunities for nearly 400 leaders and civil servants from central and local agencies of the two countries to learn from one another, exchange experience and engage in cultural exchanges.

Hao said the programme’s results are reflected not only in the number of exchange delegations, but, more importantly, in the people-to-people connections forged through it. Many of the topics discussed have become useful reference experiences for State management and policy implementation in each country.

Vietnam is interested in learning from the experience of the RoK, which has made significant achievements in modernising public administration, developing human resources, advancing digital transformation and promoting youth participation in national development, he noted.

Building on the results achieved, Hao said the two sides could develop the next phase of the cooperation programme by expanding its scope and focusing on public governance reform, digital transformation, young human resource development, employment, entrepreneurship, innovation, gender equality and the development of high-quality human resources.

The two sides could also broaden the participation of relevant specialised agencies, commune-level local administrations and talented young people with initiatives in priority areas.

Hao proposed shifting from “visit – learn – exchange” to “jointly study – jointly share – jointly develop”, while increasing roundtable discussions, seminars, exchanges of young officials, joint research and experience-sharing activities. At the same time, he called for making greater use of the network of nearly 400 officials and civil servants over the past decade to maintain connections and promote new cooperation initiatives between the two countries.

He affirmed that the Ministry of Home Affairs stands ready to coordinate with the KF in studying suitable areas of cooperation and work with relevant agencies of the two countries to develop a new-phase cooperation programme that is practical, feasible and delivers clear added value.

Choi Jae-jin, Director of the KF’s ASEAN Culture Centre, said the Korean youth delegation views the visit as an opportunity to learn about Vietnam’s experience and policies, particularly in areas of interest such as science, technology and culture.

He said the MoU will expire at the end of 2027. If the programme is continued, the KF will actively discuss and study suitable areas of cooperation for the next phase.

During their working trip to Vietnam from September 13-19, the RoK youth delegation will visit the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST), and the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, among other activities./.