At the meeting, Phong welcomed the visit of the delegation, especially on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam - RoK diplomatic relations.

The Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee stated that, cooperation between the two sides have progressed strongly over the years, especially in the field of trade unions. Emphasizing that South Korea ranks first among largest foreign investors in Vietnam and third in Hanoi, Phong noted, up to now, South Korean businesses are continuing to expanding production and business in the country, and Hanoi in particular.

In this regard, Phong highly appreciated the contribution of South Korean businesses to the development of Hanoi.

Phong also expressed his delight at the fact that despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the efforts of Hanoi and South Korean businesses in the area, the city has been able to overcome difficulties and is on track on recovery.

According to Phong, this is essential not only to socio-economic development but also improving living standards for laborers. He hoped that, during this visit, the Seoul Trade Union and the Hanoi City Confederation of Labor will sign a memorandum of cooperation to strengthen cooperation and share experiences in supporting workers.

Emphasizing the important role of trade unions in foreign-invested enterprises, Phong asked the Seoul Trade Union to work with South Korean businesses to make them aware of  the Vietnamese Government's view in protecting workers' rights.

At the meeting, the President of the Seoul Trade Union said, along with the good relationship between the two countries over the past 30 years, the Seoul Trade Union and the Hanoi City Federation of Labor have also established a 15-year relationship.

Kim said that currently, the Union is in the process of setting up a legal counseling center to support and help foreign workers  in South Korea; at the same time, develop a plan and submit it to the South Korean Government to raise the basic salary for foreign workers.

Agreeing with the remarks of the Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong, Kim said that he hopes  the signing of memorandum of understanding will create conditions for the two sides to support each other in a more practical way.

Looking back over the past 2 years, both cities were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, causing many difficulties for workers, so the South Korean Government is making efforts to improve and restart many support policies for workers.

Kim expected the new cooperation mechanism would deepen relations between the two organizations, eventually contributing to the partnership of the two countries.

At the meeting, the two sides also spent time sharing experiences in urban development and management, in which, the South Korean side shared a number of initiatives such as: a model of a legal support center for foreign workers; mechanism to support overage workers; experience in housing development to support young couples.