President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol spoke with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc over the phone on Wednesday afternoon to discuss ways to develop ties between their countries.
 
His spokesperson said, during the 30 minute conversation, the Vietnamese leader congratulated Yoon on his election victory and extended his hope that Yoon will produce results in various areas, such as overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering the economy and enhancing Korea’s global status.
 
Expressing his gratitude, Yoon said he was glad to see South Korea-Vietnam relations upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership to mark the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year.
 
In line with the elevated relations, Phuc raised the need for the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation further in diverse areas including the economy, labor, culture and security. 

He expected Korea’s participation in Vietnam's plans to improve traffic infrastructure, implement digital transformation, build a 5G telecommunications network and tackle climate change.
 
Yoon said Phuc’s South Korea visit will hopefully provide important momentum to advance bilateral relations. In response, the Vietnamese president asked Yoon to visit Vietnam at an early date.
 
The two also agreed on closer cooperation for the sake of North Korea’s denuclearization as well as stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.