On the afternoon of November 6, Kang Mu-gil, Chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Council, and Song Sang-jo, First Vice Chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Council, received Doan Phuong Lan, Consul General of Viet Nam in Busan, together with Tran Thi Hang, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Bac Ninh City People's Council, and Le Van Anh, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh City People's Committee.
On behalf of the working delegation from the Vietnamese localities, Consul General Doan Phuong Lan thanked the leadership of the Busan Metropolitan Council for taking the time to meet with the delegation. She introduced the potential of the two cities of Quang Ninh and Bac Ninh, which are two economic growth poles in northern Viet Nam and have recently had the honour of becoming centrally governed cities.
Consul General Doan Phuong Lan proposed that the Busan Metropolitan Council support a plan to promote the regular organisation of activities to strengthen connections between Busan and Viet Nam’s coastal localities in the fields of the marine economy and maritime affairs from 2027, marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
For Bac Ninh, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the People's Council Tran Thi Hang introduced the city's socio-economic development scale and its position as fifth nationwide in economic size, second in import and export turnover, and third in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). The RoK is currently Bac Ninh's leading investment partner, with more than 1,100 projects and total registered capital of 16.7 billion USD. Notable examples include the presence of major corporations such as Samsung and Amkor.
Standing Vice Chairwoman of the People's Council Tran Thi Hang said that Bac Ninh aims to expand to 72 industrial parks covering an area of 21,000 hectares by 2030. She also expressed her hope that Busan businesses would increase investment in semiconductor technology, integrated circuit design, digital technology and data centres.
For Quang Ninh, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh City People's Committee Le Van Anh highlighted its strategic location on the northeastern coast of Viet Nam, sharing land and sea borders with China, and its possession of more than 250 kilometres of coastline and a sea area of over 6,000 square kilometres.
“Quang Ninh is undergoing a strong shift from a mining-based economy towards manufacturing, a green marine economy and the development of an integrated seaport and logistics hub,” said Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh City People's Committee Le Van Anh.
Highly appreciating Busan's strengths as one of the world's leading port cities, the Quang Ninh side expressed its desire to learn from the city's experience in smart automated seaport management, logistics supply chain development, aquaculture and seafood processing, as well as cooperation to promote heritage tourism (Ha Long Bay and Yen Tu).
Speaking at the meeting, affirming that Viet Nam is an especially important economic partner of the RoK, Kang Mu-gil, Chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Council, emphasised that Busan was always ready to provide support and act as a bridge to introduce Busan's economic associations and major businesses in the logistics, maritime and manufacturing sectors to explore opportunities and expand investment cooperation in Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh in the coming period.
Kang Mu-gil, Chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Council, affirmed that he would soon arrange a delegation's visit to the two localities in 2027.
