Vietnam fired 21 rounds of cannon to welcome the Korean President

At the welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace this afternoon, General Secretary and President To Lam and President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung held a flag-raising ceremony, reviewed the honor guard of the Vietnam People’s Army and witnessed a welcome parade.

21 salvos of cannons were fired at Thang Long Imperial Citadel while the military band performed the national anthems of the two countries. This is the most formal welcoming ceremony for foreign leaders in Vietnam’s foreign affairs ceremonies.

After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders held talks and witnessed the signing and handing over of cooperation documents.

Korean President Lee Jae Myung plans to meet with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and attend other activities.

The visit of Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife took place on April 21-24. This is the first time President Lee Jae Myung comes to Vietnam after he took office in June 2025. The visit was made after Vietnam had just consolidated its senior leadership following the 14th Party Congress.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho, the fact that President Lee Jae Myung became the first national guest to visit Vietnam during this period has important political and symbolic meaning, demonstrating Korea’s high regard for Vietnam, while also reflecting the level of trust and strategic priority in bilateral relations.

Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic relations on December 22, 1992. In December 2022, the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership framework.

In 2025, bilateral trade turnover reaches 89.5 billion USD, an increase of 9.6% compared to 2024. In the first 3 months of the year, the total import-export turnover of Vietnam – Korea reached 26.9 billion USD, an increase of 30% over the same period in 2025.

Accumulated until the end of March 2026, Korea continues to be Vietnam’s largest investor with 10,447 projects, total registered capital reaching 98.9 billion USD, focusing on fields such as manufacturing and processing industry, high technology, electronics, cars and auto parts, construction, and real estate.

In 2025, Korea will be Vietnam’s second largest tourist supply market with 4.3 million arrivals, accounting for 21% of the total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam.

There are about 352,000 Vietnamese people in Korea and 200,000 Koreans living and doing business in Vietnam.