Connecting resources to support communities

At the age of 75, Cao Khanh Hoa, an Agent Orange/dioxin victim in Truong Thinh commune, former Ung Hoa district, now Ung Thien commune, Hanoi, once lived with his family of five in a house measuring about 20 square meters. The effects of the war have also affected his children and grandchildren. In June 2025, he received USD 3,000 in support from the Vietnamese Scholars and Experts Association in Korea (VESAMO) to build a House of Compassion. During the same period, 10 families of Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Hanoi received livelihood support.

Chang Ho Ick (fourth from left), Chairman of VESAMO, presents support for the construction of a House of Compassion to the family of Cao Khanh Hoa in June 2025. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

The Hanoi activities continued a programme that VESAMO has implemented in coordination with the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association (the Association) and localities since 2015. According to the Association’s 2018-2026 review report, following an initiative by the Association to implement the programme in one locality each year, the Association has worked with partners to build houses, provide living expenses, and give gifts to families of Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

VESAMO has been a partner accompanying the Association throughout this series of activities. In 2018, the organisation supported 30 families of Agent Orange/dioxin victims and funded the construction of one house in Binh Duong (now Ho Chi Minh City); in 2019, it supported 45 families and built one house in Binh Dinh (now Gia Lai province). After a period of interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme resumed in Lao Cai in 2023, Dak Lak in 2024, Hanoi in 2025, and Khanh Hoa in 2026. In Hanoi alone in 2025, 10 families received living-expense support, while two families received support to build houses.

Supporting Agent Orange/dioxin victims is part of charitable and humanitarian work, one of the Association’s key priorities during the 2018-2026 period. The Association has mobilised Korean businesses and organisations to participate in programmes supporting people affected by natural disasters and epidemics; awarded scholarships; and provided support for healthcare, education, and school facilities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association (KOVIFA) provided 4,800 face masks to students in Vietnam and 5,000 masks to the Vietnamese community in Korea. The Association connected the RoK-Vietnam Economic and Cultural Association (KOVECA) with domestic partners to provide ambulances and pharmaceuticals. VESAMO has annually awarded scholarships to students at the Ca Mau campus of Binh Duong University.

In the RoK, the Association has continued to coordinate with VESAMO to direct activities towards the Vietnamese community. The two sides have organised experience-sharing sessions between experts on multicultural families and Vietnamese women who have established stable lives in the RoK; provided information on policies and welfare services; and created forums for Vietnamese women, Vietnam-Korea families, and local authorities to discuss difficulties encountered during settlement and integration.

Expanding connections, strengthening the partnership network

The Association has also placed a strong focus on strengthening connections among localities, businesses, and educational institutions in the two countries. In 2019, the Association supported Ha Giang province (now Tuyen Quang province) in establishing a sister relationship and signing a seasonal labour exchange agreement with Boeun County, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. In Binh Duong (now Ho Chi Minh City), Binh Dinh (now Gia Lai province), Binh Thuan (now Lam Dong province), Dak Lak, and Khanh Hoa, exchange programmes jointly organised by the Association have provided opportunities for Korean businesspeople to meet local enterprises and members of friendship associations.

The Vietnam-RoK Cooperation Exchange Programme in Hai Phong 2025-2026 and the 2026 New Year Celebration, jointly organised by the Hai Phong Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association, the Korean Association in Hai Phong, and the Korean Business Association in Hai Phong in January 2026. (Photo: Hai Phong City Portal)

For the business community, the Association has coordinated with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and its partners to organise exchange and cooperation-promotion programmes, creating opportunities for Korean businesses to participate in Vietnam-RoK economic forums. In 2022, the Association chaired or co-organised trade and investment promotion conferences, the Trade and Investment Forum in Hanoi, and the Vietnam-RoK Economic and Trade Forum on transitioning to a green and innovative economic development model.

In education, science, and human resource development, the Association has connected educational institutions and business associations from the two countries; jointly organised economic, trade, and scientific forums; and supported the development and implementation of long-term educational cooperation projects. The Association also provided consultation and recommendations on the project to establish the Vietnam–Korea International University in Hanoi.

An important resource for these activities is the Association’s network of partners in the RoK. During the term, the Association continued to maintain relations with KOVIFA, VESAMO, KOVECA, the Korean Association of Vietnamese Studies (KAVS), and the Lee Hoa Son Clan Association, along with many organisations and individuals with ties to Vietnam. The partners’ members include intellectuals, businesspeople, scholars, politicians, and people who have close ties and affection for Vietnam.

The Association has maintained regular contact with traditional partners while seeking additional connections through working visits, forums, and events. The term report identifies nurturing and developing the partner network as a key focus of the Association’s work. Through these efforts, existing relationships have continued to be incorporated into exchange programmes, community support initiatives, academic research, and cooperation-building activities.

The network of Korean friends has also been connected with high-level external relations activities. The Association has supported and advised the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations in organising people-to-people friendship meetings as part of visits to the RoK by Vietnamese leaders, including the “Meeting of Vietnam-RoK Friendship Figures” in 2018, “Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh Meets Korean Friends” in 2024, and “Party General Secretary To Lam Meets Korean Friends” in 2025.

Following the 2018-2026 period, the Association has maintained long-standing friendship connections while establishing new links with localities, businesses, and educational institutions. These relationships have continued to be translated into people-to-people activities and cooperation between partners in the two countries, contributing to deepening Vietnam-RoK friendship.

On August 26 in Hanoi, the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association held its 4th National Congress for the 2026-2031 term. The Congress reviewed the Association’s work during the 2018-2026 period, adopted orientations and tasks for the 2026-2031 term and the amended and supplemented Charter, and elected the new Executive Committee and Inspection Committee.

Ambassador Choi Young Sam: Vietnam-RoK Relations Will Continue to Grow in Depth and Sustainability Concluding his diplomatic tenure in Vietnam, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Vietnam Choi Young Sam expressed confidence in the continued deepening and sustainable development of Vietnam-RoK relations, underpinned by growing mutual trust, close cooperation, and increasingly strong bonds between the peoples of the two countries. In an interview with Vietnam Times Magazine, Ambassador Choi Young Sam expressed the hope that the two countries would continue to further strengthen their bilateral partnership across a wide range of fields, including the economy, technology, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.

Vietnamese and Republic of Korean Students Join Hands for Children in Hai Phong On August 2 in Quyet Thang commune, Hai Phong city, 70 Vietnamese and Republic of Korea students concluded a seven-day volunteer journey under the Hyundai Happy Move Global Youth Volunteers Programme 2026, carrying out a range of activities to improve learning conditions and support local children.