Within the framework of his first overseas working trip in his new position, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang held bilateral talks with Minister of Fisheries and Oceanistics of Korea Chun Jae-Soo. The meeting not only demonstrated the spirit of friendship between the two countries but also marked a new step in the fisheries cooperation relationship between the two Ministries.
Minister Chun Jae-Soo highly appreciated Vietnam's rich marine potential. At the same time, emphasizing that since the first Memorandum of Understanding in 2002, the fisheries cooperation between the two sides has continuously developed. The signing of the new Memorandum of Understanding is considered an important milestone, towards a more extensive and substantial phase of cooperation.
At the meeting, the two sides agreed on many strategic orientations such as sustainable marine farming development, sharing technology for monitoring exploitation and traceability to remove the IUU "yellow card". Vietnam expressed its desire to access industrial cage farming technology, which is environmentally friendly, as well as invite Korean enterprises to invest in the PPP model.
Minister Chun Jae-Soo said that Korea is ready to transfer technology, including the application of artificial intelligence in seafood, and expand training programs and transfer modern techniques to Vietnam.
The two sides agreed to continue promoting substantive cooperation in sustainable fisheries management, resource conservation, and expanding trade and investment in the seafood industry in the 2026-2030 period.
After more than 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, Vietnam and South Korea have upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Korea is currently the largest foreign investor in Vietnam with nearly 85 billion USD in capital. In 2024, bilateral trade turnover will reach 82.1 billion USD, of which seafood accounts for more than 890 million USD.
At the meeting, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang affirmed: Vietnam identifies seafood as one of the important pillars in the sustainable marine economic development strategy. We hope to learn from Korea's experience and propose key cooperation contents including: sustainable aquaculture development, transfer of modern marine farming technology, ocean plastic waste treatment, human resource training and promotion of seafood trade".
Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang emphasized his commitment to direct the effective implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed and specific cooperation programs between the two Ministries.
