Reciprocal visits to bring Korea, Vietnam closer in Lee's push for Global South diplomacy

President Lee Jae Myung and To Lam, the general secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, shake hands during To’s state visit to Seoul in August 2025. Lee embarked on a reciprocal state visit to Hanoi from Tuesday to Friday. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

President Lee Jae Myung embarked on a state visit to Vietnam, Tuesday, marking a reciprocal visit between the leaders of the two countries and fueling expectations that the trip will work in Korea’s favor in advancing its Global South diplomacy.

Lee is the first foreign head of state to visit Vietnam since the start of its new government earlier this month.

To Lam, who already held the top position as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, was also elected president by the country's National Assembly on April 7, in an unusual concentration of power with one person.

Lee’s trip comes in response to To’s state visit to Korea in August 2025, when Lam was already Vietnam’s most powerful political figure as the top party leader. His trip to Korea took place just two months after Lee took office following a snap election victory, making Lam the first foreign leader to visit the country.

“Lam’s Korea visit carried significant meaning for development to bilateral relations, and in this context, Lee’s Vietnam visit in a reciprocal gesture also highly symbolic,” Ahn Kyong-hwan, a former Chosun University professor and the first Korean to become an honorary citizen of Hanoi, said in an interview with radio broadcaster Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

The professor hinted that the reciprocal visit could add momentum to the Lee administration’s Global South diplomacy with Vietnam.

This diplomatic initiative focuses on strengthening ties with countries commonly grouped as the Global South. While the term has geographic roots referring to developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere, not all are located in the region. It instead reflects a broader group of countries with similar economic trajectories and development goals.

Kwon Sung-taek, vice chairman of the Korea-Vietnam Economic and Cultural Association, a nonprofit organization promoting bilateral ties, voiced a similar view in a VOV interview.

“The coming era of the Korea-Vietnam ties signifies a shift toward a long-term and in-depth strategic partnership, after focusing on manufacturing and investment,” Kwon said.

He noted that the foundation for the much-anticipated leap lies in the similarity between Lee's pragmatic, interest-centered foreign policy and Vietnam's so-called “bamboo diplomacy,” which values flexibility alongside principle.

“Simply put, Korea’s diplomacy aligns well with Vietnam’s national goals ... The two countries have a perfect complementarity in their economic and industrial structures,” Kwon said.

“The Lee administration’s practical diplomacy and the Vietnamese government’s development strategy represent more than just a good match. They create a high-intensity, strategic synergy where economic, industrial and diplomatic efforts converge.”