Ha Noi, Seoul to promote cooperation across four key areas
VGP - Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang held a working session with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on September 7 as part of his working visit to South Korea.
Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang (L) holds a working session with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Seoul, September 7, 2026
The meeting took place at a particularly significant time, as the two capitals are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their friendship relations (1996–2026).
Looking back on the past three decades, cooperation between Ha Noi and Seoul has been continuously strengthened and expanded across a wide range of key areas, including urban management and development, planning, transport, e-government, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
To deepen and make their cooperation more substantive and effective, the leaders of the two capitals agreed to focus future collaboration on four key areas, including (1) smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation; (2) public transport and green, sustainable urban development; (3) science and technology, innovation, investment and business connectivity; and (4) people-to-people exchanges, culture, education and tourism.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of friendship relations (1996–2026), the two sides will move toward discussions on and the signing of a new-period cooperation agreement covering the above-mentioned areas, with a view to establishing a new framework for bilateral cooperation.
In particular, the two sides agreed on the need to shift from simply exchanging and sharing experience toward jointly implementing concrete programs and projects in practice, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both capitals.
Chairman Vu expressed his hope that the Seoul municipal authorities would continue to pay attention to and create the most favorable conditions for Vietnamese people to settle their lives, pursue their studies, work effectively and integrate successfully into the local community.
He noted that the Vietnamese community could make positive contributions to Seoul's development while serving as a bridge to further strengthen the friendship between Viet Nam and South Korea.
Oh, for his part, affirmed the special importance of the long-standing and close partnership between Ha Noi and Seoul, saying that the relationship has contributed to deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and South Korea.
Seoul pledges to actively coordinate and work closely with Ha Noi toward a new phase of cooperation that is more substantive, effective and innovative, with both sides working together toward a brighter future, he underlined./.
