Leaders agree on Korea's export of heat-treated poultry meat to Vietnam

President Lee Jae Myung and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam shake hands after their summit at Vietnam's presidential palace in Hanoi, Wednesday. Yonhap

HANOI — Korea will be able to export heat-treated poultry meat to Vietnam, as leaders of the two nations agreed on it during their summit in Hanoi, Wednesday, as part of efforts to increase bilateral trade volume.

The agreement, reached between President Lee Jae Myung and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam, suggests that samgyetang (traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup) and frozen fried chicken will be sold ready-made in Vietnam amid the global popularity of Korean culinary culture.

This was part of other measures of collaboration discussed during the summit, addressing various sectors including medical devices, railways, artificial intelligence (AI), secondary batteries, intellectual property and cultural content.

“The two countries agreed on the mutual exports of heat-treated poultry products,” Lee said in a joint statement announced after the summit. In September 2025, Korea allowed imports of such products from Vietnam.

“We will accelerate cooperation to expand agricultural and livestock trade,” the president added, noting such cooperation will be based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on animal health and quarantine cooperation.

Heat-treated poultry exports will contribute to the goal of increasing bilateral trade volume to $150 billion by 2030, up from $94.5 billion in 2025, he said.

President Lee Jae Myung and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam, accompanied by their officials, hold a summit at Vietnam's presidential palace in Hanoi, Wednesday. Yonhap

The summit took place during Lee’s first state visit to Vietnam, regarding which he said he was pleased to “witness firsthand the dynamic development of Vietnam under the leadership” of Lam.

The president listed achievements since the establishment of bilateral ties in 1992, including Vietnam becoming Korea’s third-largest trading partner and Korea being Vietnam’s largest foreign investor, as he assessed that the summit set the stage for elevating the comprehensive strategic partnership formed in 2022.

In particular, Lee pointed to around 10,000 Korean businesses currently operating in Vietnam, saying this “attests to our highly integrated economic partnership.”

He also said the decadeslong ties make Korea an ideal partner for realizing Vietnam’s national vision of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045.

In a further step to accelerate cooperation, the president noted that a contract for the export of Korean rolling stock for Ho Chi Minh City’s urban railway will be signed on Thursday.

“I hope this contract will contribute to improving Vietnam’s railway infrastructure and lead to expanded cooperation in major transportation and logistics infrastructure projects,” Lee said.

Lam said Vietnam will create "an open and transparent investment environment" and provide maximum convenience to ensure that foreign investors, including Korean companies, can invest in the country in "a stable and sustainable manner."

The two leaders addressed people-to-people exchanges, noting that Vietnam is the second-most-visited country by Koreans, receiving around 4.5 million Korean visitors each year.

Vietnam is also the top country for international marriages involving Koreans, as about 100,000 multicultural families in Korea include Vietnamese-born members, making it a “country of in-laws.”

Lee and Lam accordingly agreed on close cooperation to “ensure stable residence and promote the rights and interests of citizens of both countries.”

On the occasion of the summit, the two nations signed 12 MOUs, including ones for cooperation on safety of food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices.

As for future-oriented sectors, the MOUs dealt with entry of Korean AI companies into the Vietnamese market, joint research projects in AI, biotechnology, semiconductors and secondary batteries as well as establishment of a cooperation network for intellectual property law enforcement.

The MOUs also addressed energy security-related issues, exploring opportunities for the development of nuclear power plants and power supply cooperation to mitigate the impact from the Middle East conflict.

On cultural content, the two nations agreed on cooperation to nurture talent, jointly produce creative works and protect copyright.

Lee and Lam were the first state guests to each other’s country after their respective inaugurations. Lam visited Korea last August, about two months after Lee was elected president. The new Vietnamese government started with Lam elected on April 7, to co-serve as the president.

“I find it especially meaningful that I am now visiting Vietnam as the first state guest since the launch of Vietnam’s new leadership,” Lee said.