Seeking solutions to develop future-oriented relations between Vietnam and Korea

Compared to other countries in Asia, South Korea is considered to have a very rapidly developing relationship with Vietnam after 3 decades. The two countries established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level in 1992, upgraded to a comprehensive partnership in 2002, and developed into a strategic cooperative partnership in 2009. In 2017, with the "New Southern Policy" of the Moon Jae-in administration, South Korea chose Vietnam as the center, becoming the gateway to bring South Korea to Southeast Asian countries. Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with more than 200 countries but has only established strategic cooperative partnerships with 17 countries, of which South Korea is one of the first 3 countries with which Vietnam established strategic partnerships in 2009. Currently, South Korea is the largest foreign investor in Vietnam for many consecutive years. Vietnam is the 3rd largest trading partner of South Korea. The two countries also aim to increase bilateral trade turnover to 100 billion USD by 2020, accounting for 50% of ASEAN-Korea turnover. In recent meetings, the leaders of the two countries have mentioned upgrading diplomatic relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, considering each other as top priority partners. The achievements of cooperation between the two countries to date are thanks to the commitments and active promotion policies from the two governments; at the same time, it shows that this is a favorable cooperation environment with much untapped potential.

Discussing the importance and positive contributions of Korean Studies in Vietnam to the development of cooperative relations between the two countries, Dr. Luu Tuan Anh (Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU) shared information: Korean Studies in Vietnam was established almost parallel to the time when the two countries officially established diplomatic relations. Up to now, Vietnam has 35 institutions training Korean language and knowledge related to Korean Studies. Over the past 30 years, these institutions have trained thousands of bachelors who are both fluent in Korean and have solid knowledge of Korea, working in many different types of agencies and enterprises. However, when the relationship between the two countries developed to a higher level, issues related to specialized fields such as law, science and technology, medicine, and environment appeared, in addition to traditional areas of cooperation such as economy, culture, and society. Many fields require comprehensive knowledge of Korean studies to solve problems arising in the process of exchange and cooperation. Therefore, Korean language training institutions in Vietnam are tending to expand to specialized training in country studies with comprehensive, interdisciplinary knowledge, and an orientation towards regional studies. Korean studies in Vietnam are facing the responsibility of closely following development practices, linking with a variety of key industries and fields to support the relationship between the two countries in the direction of minimizing conflicts and disagreements, and promoting the strengths of each side in the cooperative relationship.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Thu Luong (Hong Bang International University) proposed to enhance the quality of Korean-Vietnamese cooperation by promoting Korean studies in Vietnam to develop in the direction of modern regional studies. The scientist stated that the achievements of Korean studies in Vietnam are mainly reflected in three aspects: popularizing Korean and increasing Vietnamese people's understanding of Korea; gradually developing Korean studies in many fields of economics, culture, history, etc. to draw lessons for Vietnam; training a team of Korean researchers and teachers in Vietnam. From there, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Thu Luong outlined a number of Korean studies activities in the direction of modern regional studies and associated with Vietnam-Korea relations in the direction of: increasing interdisciplinary to form a reliable database for Korean investment activities in Vietnam; implementing topics comparing Vietnamese-Korean cultural spaces at the family, local, regional, and national levels for multicultural families; Place Korean studies in regional and international contexts.

Discussing the change in Korea's international development cooperation with Vietnam through ODA, Dr. Lee Kye-sun (Thang Long University) recalled Korea's "miracle on the Han River" in utilizing ODA support from the international community to transform a poor country after the war into a developed country with economic and political status in the world. Currently, Korea maintains top priority in ODA support for Vietnam, focusing on increasing the investment rate in the areas where Vietnam is focusing on reform: public administration, education, environment, health, human resources, information technology, etc. The highlight in the change in Korea's international development cooperation through ODA for Vietnam is the gradual shift from support to development cooperation. However, Vietnam also needs to be cautious to use ODA capital effectively and solve the problem of slow disbursement.

Concerned about the issue of “Social cooperation between Vietnam and Korean non-governmental organizations”, Dr. Nguyen Thi Tham (Northeast Asia Research Institute) said that along with the rapid development of diplomatic and economic relations, cooperation in social relations between the two countries is increasingly being promoted. The number of Korean non-governmental organizations in Vietnam (KNGOs) is constantly increasing with many diverse activities, actively contributing to solving social problems in Vietnam. The value of projects and programs of KNGOs in Vietnam has also increased sharply in the past 10 years, focusing on the fields of socio-economic development, community development, rural development, livelihood support, disadvantaged groups, etc. The Vietnamese Government also gives KNGOs special attention and priority.

However, Dr. Nguyen Thi Tham also pointed out that the outstanding feature of KNGOs in Vietnam is that most of them cooperate directly with local authorities. KNGO activities are mainly humanitarian and charitable activities rather than development support activities. And compared to cooperation in other fields, cooperation in the social field between Vietnam and Korea is still not commensurate with the strategic relationship between the two countries. In addition, issues of environment, sustainable development, judicial support, capacity building, etc. also need to be concerned by KNGO organizations to expand development cooperation.

The presentation "Research on economic and trade cooperation issues between Vietnam and Korea" by Mr. Chu Van Tu (Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry) delves into Korea's experience in developing the creative economy, thereby providing policy suggestions to promote the creative economy in Vietnam, creating a foundation for cooperation between the two countries.

To make Vietnam a destination for innovation, the author proposes the following solutions: perfecting the operating mechanism of the state management apparatus on science and technology; placing enterprises at the center of innovation activities; increasing investment in infrastructure and innovation connection networks; increasing financial investment in technological innovation and innovation; developing human resources for science, technology and innovation; forming and nurturing an innovation culture in each individual and organization...

From a cultural perspective, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Huyen (Institute of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities) asked: Although cultural cooperation between Vietnam and Korea has been quite active in recent times, is this cooperation commensurate and balanced? With a stronger advantage in terms of potential, Korea tends to export cultural products one-way to Vietnam, there are not many official cooperation products between the two countries in music, cinema, etc. While the quality of the cooperative relationship lies in the balance and equality of benefits that both sides achieve. The disproportion in the relationship will lead to a situation of being inferior and dominating one side over the other, causing consequences and conflicts, etc.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Huyen also said that the focus of the cultural industry is the production of creative content and this could be an opportunity and prospect for cooperation between the two countries in the future. While the Korean creative content industry has many remarkable achievements based on the accumulation of the State's policies and laws; the quickness in seizing investment opportunities; the professionalism and depth of the human resources... this activity in Vietnam is still quite young. But the premises for cooperation have begun to appear. Korea is a country with a large creative content industry in the world and Southeast Asia is Korea's 4th largest market. The appearance of KOCCA - the Korean Creative Content Agency in Vietnam - is an important fulcrum in connecting businesses of the two sides, opening up opportunities for cooperation in this field. So is Vietnam ready to seize the opportunity to break through in this potential field? While the Korean side is actively seeking cooperation opportunities in Vietnam, Vietnamese cultural management agencies need to proactively learn about the capabilities and experiences of Korean partners to develop policies to support their own businesses. It is necessary to create a lever for Vietnam's creative content industry to have equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with Korea.