President Lee Jae-myung and To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President, reaffirmed the solidity of bilateral relations while showcasing a sense of familiarity, as this marked their first summit in eight months. In particular, President Lee remarked, "(Vietnam) is the number one country for international marriages among our citizens, making it a 'country of in-laws,'" and added, "The 100,000 Korean-Vietnamese multicultural families have become a precious foundation connecting our two countries by blood."
On the 22nd (local time), President Lee maintained a friendly atmosphere by highlighting the bonds between the two nations, starting with a meeting with overseas Koreans, followed by a summit with General Secretary Lam, and culminating in a state dinner. At the meeting with overseas Koreans in Hanoi prior to the summit, President Lee said, "After our government was launched last year, General Secretary Lam made the first state visit to Korea as a foreign leader, and now, after Vietnam's new leadership was formed, I have come as the first state guest. Doesn't this alone show that Vietnam and Korea have a special relationship?"
He continued, "The Vietnamese Korean community, which has grown to about 200,000, is the largest in ASEAN and the fifth largest in the world. The sweat and dedication of all of you—cultural and sports figures, expatriates, small business owners, young entrepreneurs, international students, and senior compatriots who have laid the foundation over a long time—have created today's strong Vietnam-Korea relationship." He further expressed his commitment, saying, "I will carefully examine the difficulties faced by overseas Koreans and do my best to resolve them promptly."
That day, President Lee wore a necktie with a taegeuk pattern, while First Lady Kim Hye-kyung wore a jade-colored hanbok with a bluish tint. Regarding this, the Presidential Office explained, "Both President Lee and the First Lady used the color blue to embody the partnership in which the two countries draw a future together under the same sky."
In the subsequent summit, President Lee continued to emphasize the importance of civil exchanges between the two countries. General Secretary Lam responded, "I am pleased that our two countries have built a truly trustworthy partnership as close friends who cooperate strategically and understand each other."
At the state dinner, President Lee said, "This year marks the 800th anniversary of Prince Ly Long Tuong of Vietnam's Ly Dynasty settling in Goryeo," and added, "The bond between our two countries, which began as a small exchange, has now grown into that of the closest neighbors, with 5 million people traveling back and forth annually." General Secretary Lam stated, "At banquets for honored guests, spices always play an important role. The flavor of Vietnamese 'duong ban' soybean paste, which deepens over time like Korean doenjang, is like the friendship between our two countries—it becomes deeper and more solid as time passes."
Meanwhile, during their first summit, President Lee said in an interview with Vietnamese media, "Have the Vietnamese people heard the phrase 'Da Nang City in Gyeonggi Province'? So many of our citizens visit Da Nang, Vietnam for vacation that you can't tell whether it's Vietnam or Korea." He also said, "The visitors who love both countries, the 100,000 multicultural families, and the Vietnamese workers contributing to Korea's economic growth are truly the strong bridge connecting Korea and Vietnam."
The Presidential Office previously announced the goal of "strengthening Vietnam's status as a Hallyu hub in ASEAN" through President Lee's state visit. The plan is to expand cooperation in the cultural industry and support the expansion of Korean language education in Vietnam on the occasion of this visit.