1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha spoke over the phone with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Pham Binh Minh on the morning of July 23. During the phone conversation that came after the last one in February, Minister Kang and Deputy Prime Minister Minh assessed the Republic of Korea and Vietnam’s responses to COVID-19 and discussed ways for the two countries to cooperate in various areas in the future.

2. Minister Kang said that both the ROK and Vietnam are successfully controlling the spread of COVID-19, including through transparency and active tracing and testing, and noted with appreciation that the two countries have been working very closely together in disease prevention and control, including granting business people exemptions to the entry restrictions.

o Deputy Prime Minister Minh extended congratulations on the ROK government’s effective control of COVID-19, and explained that Vietnam has also brought COVID-19 under control, with no community-acquired infections for the past few months.

3. The two Ministers agreed to resume high-level exchanges between the two countries as soon as possible while taking into consideration the COVID-19 situation, and further step up economic cooperation in a range of areas to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.

o In particular, Minister Kang commended the Vietnamese government for jointly holding events with the ROK Embassy to support Korean companies in Vietnam, including the Meet Korea 2020 held on June 30 and a dialogue between the Prime Minister’s Office and Korean companies to resume economic activities after COVID-19 held on July 17. Deputy Prime Minister Minh expressed hope that Korean companies would invest more actively in Vietnam, and said that his country would further facilitate Korean business people’s entry into Vietnam.

4. With regard to the issue, the two Ministers reaffirmed their common understanding on the need to introduce a fast track procedure to allow essential personnel, including business people, to enter each other’s countries, and agreed to continue working closely together to establish the necessary procedure.

o Minister Kang extended appreciation to the Vietnamese government for actively cooperating in allowing about 5,000 Korean business people to enter Vietnam so far. She went on to express hope that the two countries would be able to create a system for the entry of essential personnel, including business people, by establishing a fast track between the two countries as early as possible, and offered to continue consultations on details through diplomatic channels.

o Deputy Prime Minister Minh said that Vietnam will provide active support to ensure a smooth entry process for Korean business people, while complying with the health authorities’ guidelines for disease prevention and control.

o In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Minh explained that the Vietnamese government is working to resume regular international flights with some countries, including the ROK, for the first time since it banned the operation of international flights due to COVID-19. In response, Minister Kang welcomed the Vietnamese measure, adding that it would be a good signal to normalize people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

5. Furthermore, Minister Kang said that there would be a great potential for cooperation between the two countries on the “Korean New Deal” announced by President Moon Jae-in. Deputy Prime Minister Minh mentioned that Vietnam is greatly interested in cooperation with the ROK on the “Korean New Deal.”

6. Lastly, Minister Kang said that the ROK will fully support the role of Vietnam as ASEAN chair for this year and looks forward to continuing to cooperate with Vietnam more closely to strengthen the ROK-ASEAN and the ROK-Mekong cooperation, following the success of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit last year.

o Deputy Prime Minister Minh shared Minister Kang’s view, and said that he particularly looks forward to close cooperation with the ROK in fisheries, energy, and water resource management in the Mekong region.

o Deputy Prime Minister Minh voiced hope that the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ meetings would be held in Hanoi in September in a face-to-face format and he would be able to meet Minister Kang in person during the meetings. Minister Kang also said that she hopes to visit Vietnam for the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ meetings.