Mr. Pham Tan Cong, Chairman of VCCI, welcomed a group from South Korea led by Mr. Suh Byung Soo, a member of the South Korean National Assembly and former Mayor of Busan, for a cordial visit and conversation with VCCI on May 16th. Ms. Choi Young Suk, a member of the South Korean National Assembly, was also present, as were members from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam.

Mr. Suh Byung Soo presented the idea to hold the "2030 World EXPO" event in Busan, South Korea, and stated his wish for Vietnam's support and aid in successfully staging this event.

Chairman Pham Tan Cong offered his full support for Busan's hosting program and hoped that the two countries' relations in sectors like as commerce and investment, as well as cultural interaction, would be strengthened further.

South Korea, according to Mr. Pham Tan Cong, is one of Vietnam's most important commercial partners worldwide. With a total capital of 80.5 billion USD, South Korea ranks first in terms of foreign direct investment in Vietnam, and second in terms of development cooperation, tourism, and labor. Bilateral trade cooperation totaled 88 billion USD in 2022, with a goal of reaching 100 billion USD in the near future.

Not just in commerce, but both sides believe that cultural interaction has become a foundation in the two nations' relationship. People-to-people and cultural contacts are common between Vietnam and South Korea, as proven by the nearly 5 million tourists that traveled between the two countries prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. In South Korea and Vietnam, there are around 80,000 multicultural Vietnamese-Korean households, with many Vietnamese and Koreans conducting business and residing in each other's countries.

According to the VCCI Chairman, Vietnam and South Korea share cultural values, history, and many Asian qualities such as dedication and hard work. With South Korea becoming one of the world's leading economies, he believes Vietnam would soon realize its objective of becoming a developed country with the help of foreign partners such as South Korea.

Mr. Suh Byung Soo acknowledges VCCI's efforts to the development and promotion of Vietnam-South Korea ties. He promised to continue assisting Vietnam in extending and improving the bilateral relationship in a variety of fields, including collaboration between Vietnam and Busan.

Busan is South Korea's second-largest city and a transportation and logistics center connecting Asia and the rest of the world. Busan has chosen Education, Innovation, and Collaboration as the topic for this year's event in order to compete for the privilege to host the World EXPO Exhibition.

Busan's strength is innovation, as seen by the city's leadership in pursuing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Busan has formed a Blockchain Special Zone, constructed a Smart Green City, and boasts contemporary transportation infrastructure such as airports, motorways, high-speed railways, and the world's second-largest transshipment port.

Busan has hosted a number of large-scale international events and exhibitions in recent years, including the 2002 Asian Games, the 2005 APEC Summit, the 2014 and 2019 ASEAN-South Korea Special Summits, and the 4th and 9th Asian MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) Combined Conference.