President Roh Moo-hyun held summit talks with Vietnam's President Tran Duc Luong, after which a joint press statement was adopted, that calls for expanding comprehensive partnership outlined in a landmark 2001 agreement between the two countries.
During the talks held in the presidential palace in Hanoi on Sunday, Roh asked the Southeast Asian government to support the participation of South Korean companies in local projects including large-scale development plans and installing mobile communication networks in the nation.
The two head of states agreed to further expand bilateral trade and resolve issues of trade imbalance in the long run. To this aim, South Korea pledged to support Vietnam's capacity building efforts.
Also coinciding with President Roh's three-day state visit to Hanoi was the signing of a loan agreement, in which Seoul is to provide 21 millions dollars to assist Vietnam in improving its environmental infrastructure.
Following the summit, Roh met with some 100 South Korean and Vietnamese businessmen to ask for their cooperation so Korean firms can further make inroads into the 80-million strong market and increase investment