@ Follow the link(Office of the President Republic of KOREA)

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc from Dec. 4-6 will pay a state visit to Korea at the invitation of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The Office of the President on Dec. 1 said President Phuc's visit, the first to Korea by a foreign head of state since the launch of the Yoon administration, will commemorate the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties this year.

On Dec. 5, both leaders will attend a welcoming ceremony and their official schedule such as a small-scale chat, their bilateral summit and a state banquet.

The two presidents will discuss politics, national security, economy (trade, investment, finance, infrastructure and supply chains), development, education and interpersonal exchanges, and methods to boost cooperation in major regional and international issues.

The presidential office said, "Vietnam is a core partner in our independent 'Indo-Pacific Strategy' and 'Korea-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Solidarity Initiative,'" adding, "President Phuc's state visit to Korea is expected to help develop bilateral relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership and serve as an important opportunity to raise cooperation with ASEAN through the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative."

President Phuc was named prime minister in 2016 and later president, the second-highest office in his country, in April last year. Vietnam's top-ranking government official is Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the country's Communist Party.

On March 23, then President-elect Yoon exchanged greetings over the phone with President Phuc and thanked him for his congratulatory message over the Korean leader's election victory.

A state visit, Korea's highest level of reception for a foreign leader, typically has an official welcoming ceremony such as an honor guard inspection, presidential banquet with performances, high-level greeting and seeing off the visiting head of state during the latter's arrival and departure, gun salute and cultural events.

In principle, a Korean president is limited to hosting one such visit per country over a term.