•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
On 22 April, Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng welcomed Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung Hoon during the Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to Vietnam. Also attending were Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lê Xuân Định, along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Office.
At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Dũng said the visit is significant for maintaining and strongly promoting the Vietnam–Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across all fields. He noted that scientific and technological cooperation has become a new pillar, with initial positive results.
In the context of Vietnam’s strategic development goals in the new period, Dũng emphasized that Vietnam values and hopes to continue strengthening the relationship with Korea based on trust, companionship, and shared development.
Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng urged Korean enterprises to increase new investment and expand in Vietnam, particularly in priority areas including infrastructure development, high-tech electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, big data, biotechnology, and smart city development.
He also proposed that the two countries’ ministries continue close coordination, operate cooperation mechanisms effectively, and translate policy agreements into concrete projects with tangible outcomes.
From the Korean side, Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung Hoon said many large Korean companies see Vietnam’s development potential and the quality of Vietnam’s human resources. He added that the two sides are expanding cooperation in agriculture, human resource development, and the implementation of ODA projects.
The Korean side praised the Vietnam–Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) as a model of bilateral cooperation and expressed expectations that VKIST will continue to develop, becoming a symbol of cooperation between the two countries.
Bae Kyung Hoon pledged to strengthen support and coordinate the effective implementation of VKIST-related projects. The goal is not only to enhance VKIST’s role as a research base, but also to turn it into a hub connecting cooperation between enterprises from both countries.
He also highlighted that VKIST serves as a platform for building human resource training programs, especially in software and artificial intelligence.
Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung Hoon stressed the potential of Vietnam’s young workforce and said the two sides should intensify cooperation in key areas including artificial intelligence and the semiconductor industry, which he noted have drawn attention from the Government of Korea.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
