President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Tuesday, a day before Lee's summit with Vietnam's top leader To Lam. Yonhap
HANOI — President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to meet all three of Vietnam’s top political leaders during his first state visit to the country, a move that analysts say could help scale up bilateral ties after 34 years of rapidly developing partnership.
Lee will first meet with To Lam during a bilateral summit, Wednesday, after To emerged as Vietnam’s most powerful leader in decades by serving as both the Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary and the country’s president.
On Thursday, Lee is scheduled to hold separate talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the second- and third-highest-ranking officials in the country’s political hierarchy.
From left, Vietnam's top three political leaders To Lam, Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary and the country’s president; Le Minh Hung, prime minister; and Tran Thanh Man, chairman of the National Assembly / Captured images from Vietnamese government website
Both Lee and To were the first state guests to visit the other’s country after their respective governments began — Lee after the start of To’s administration on April 7, and To visiting Korea in August 2025, two months after the Lee administration began.
Lee will be meeting Vietnam’s prime minister and the National Assembly chairman for the first time.
“The coordinated meetings with all three of Vietnam’s top political leaders suggest that the new Vietnamese government is placing strong emphasis on cooperation with the Lee administration,” said Choe Won-gi, director of the Centre for ASEAN-Indian Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
The professor pointed out that Lee’s state visit is a reciprocal gesture to To’s visit to Korea.
This gesture makes Wednesday's summit “highly symbolic” as the two countries seek to strengthen their partnership following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Choe explained.
Source: Korea Times News
