Lee to meet Vietnam’s top 3 political leaders during state visit

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Tuesday, a day before Lee's summit with Vietnam's top leader To Lam. Yonhap

HANOI — President Lee Jae Myung is scheduled to meet all three of Vietnam’s top political leaders during his first state visit to the country, a move that analysts say could help scale up bilateral ties after 34 years of rapidly developing partnership.

Lee will first meet with To Lam during a bilateral summit, Wednesday, after Lam emerged as Vietnam’s most powerful leader in decades by serving as both the Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary and the country’s president.

On Thursday, Lee is scheduled to hold separate talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the second- and third-highest-ranking officials in the country’s political hierarchy.

From left, Vietnam's top three political leaders To Lam, Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary and the country’s president; Le Minh Hung, prime minister; and Tran Thanh Man, chairman of the National Assembly / Captured images from Vietnamese government website

Both Lee and Lam were the first state guests to visit the other’s country after their respective governments began — Lee after the start of Lam’s administration on April 7, and Lam visiting Korea in August 2025, two months after the Lee administration began.

Lee will be meeting Vietnam’s prime minister and the National Assembly chairman for the first time.

“The coordinated meetings with all three of Vietnam’s top political leaders suggest that the new Vietnamese government is placing strong emphasis on cooperation with the Lee administration,” said Choe Won-gi, director of the Centre for ASEAN-Indian Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

The professor pointed out that Lee’s state visit is a reciprocal gesture to Lam’s visit to Korea.

This gesture makes Wednesday's summit “highly symbolic” as the two countries seek to strengthen their partnership following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Choe explained.

He also explained that, although power is now heavily concentrated with Lam, the planned meetings with the second- and third-highest-ranking officials remain symbolically important, especially given Vietnam’s long-standing collective leadership.

The leadership was traditionally distributed among four individuals — the general secretary, president, prime minister, and National Assembly chairman.

In a rare development, Lam is the first Vietnamese leader to simultaneously control both the party and the state.

“The fact that Lee will be separately received in a one-on-one meeting by the prime minister or the chairman of the National Assembly shows respect toward our government, in line with Vietnam’s collective leadership system,” Choe said.