Yongsan District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun Sees Fruits of Opened Vietnam Expansion?... Yongsan District Signs Business Agreement for Vietnam Expansion with 7 Sister Cities

Goseong-gun, Damyang-gun, Dangjin-si, Boseong-gun, Yeongdong-gun, Uiryeong-gun, Jecheon-si Participate... Vietnam Yongsan International Exchange Office Exhibits and Sells Products at Korea Promotion Center... Local State Broadcaster (VTC10) Produces and Airs Regional Introduction Video

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan District

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the 23rd, Yongsan-gu signed a "Joint Cooperation Agreement for Supporting the Entry of Excellent Hallyu Content into Vietnam and Promoting Korea-Vietnam Exchange" with seven domestic sister cities and Vietnam's state-owned broadcasting station ‘VTC10’.

This is to promote friendship between Korea and Vietnam and to foster sustainable mutual development.

Accordingly, Yongsan-gu (Seoul), Goseong-gun (Gangwon), Damyang-gun (Jeonnam), Dangjin-si (Chungnam), Boseong-gun (Jeonnam), Yeongdong-gun (Chungbuk), Uiryeong-gun (Gyeongnam), and Jecheon-si (Chungbuk) will continue cooperation with VTC10’s Korea Content Business Headquarters in ▲promoting exchanges in various fields such as Korea-Vietnam economy, culture, and tourism ▲facilitating Korea-Vietnam exchanges centered on Hallyu content ▲joint planning and production of Hallyu content ▲broadcasting regional introduction videos on VTC10’s program ‘Best in Korea’.

In particular, these local governments will support exchange projects with Quy Nhon City, Vietnam, which is Yongsan-gu’s overseas sister city. The promotional hall on the first floor of the Vietnam Yongsan International Exchange Office (Tran Cao Van 109, Quy Nhon City), operated by the district since 2016, will exhibit specialty products from each city and county and work on developing sales channels within Vietnam. Products that can be sold and experienced will also be jointly exhibited by sister cities at the newly established Korean Promotion Hall in the form of a Hanok (traditional Korean house) located in the Citizen Park of An Phu Ting New Town, Quy Nhon City.

A district official said, “To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Korea-Vietnam diplomatic relations and the 26th anniversary of friendship exchanges between Yongsan-gu and Quy Nhon City next year, we are promoting the construction of a Hanok-style Korean Promotion Hall and Hanok pavilion locally,” adding, “We will organize content so that Vietnamese citizens can understand Korean culture more easily and enjoyably.”

Meanwhile, in October, the district signed an agreement with VTC10 to promote Korea-Vietnam exchanges and has aired promotional videos introducing major tourist attractions and Korea-Vietnam exchange activities in the region four times on Best in Korea. Best in Korea is broadcast every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday from 9:00 to 9:30 PM local time, focusing on Korean culture such as K-pop, travel, Korean cuisine, and fashion. The main audience is people in their 20s to 40s interested in Hallyu.

Quy Nhon City, Yongsan-gu’s Vietnamese sister city, is located in central Vietnam. Seong Jang-hyun, then a Yongsan-gu council member and now the mayor, visited Quy Nhon as part of the district delegation in 1996, and the two cities established a sister city relationship the following year. Major exchange projects so far include supporting outstanding students from Quy Nhon to study in Korea, assisting in the construction of a cataract treatment center at Quy Nhon City Hospital, operating the Yongsan International Exchange Office and Quy Nhon Sejong Institute, and supporting the construction of the Phuoc My Village Love House and kindergarten.

The program supporting outstanding students from Quy Nhon to study in Korea, which started in 2010, has produced five graduates over 11 years with the cooperation of Sookmyung Women’s University. Five students are still studying.

Also, in 2013, the district helped build a cataract treatment center at Quy Nhon City Hospital. Amorepacific and Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital cooperated, and especially Professor Lee Seong-jin of Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, known as the “Schweitzer of Yongsan,” has visited Quy Nhon annually to provide medical technology training and patient treatment. Approximately 4,500 beneficiaries have been served.

In 2016, to mark the 20th anniversary of friendship exchanges between Yongsan-gu and Quy Nhon City, the Yongsan International Exchange Office was established in the center of Quy Nhon City. The office is three stories and 277.68㎡ in size: the first floor is a promotional hall, the second floor houses the exchange office and business center, and the third floor is a Korean language classroom (Quy Nhon Sejong Institute). It has received positive responses from locals through Hanbok experience services and Korean Culture Day events.

Additionally, the district has built 21 houses so far on land provided by Quy Nhon City (Phuoc My Village) with support from the Saemaul Movement Yongsan-gu Branch and the Yongsan-gu Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, together with HDC Shilla Duty Free, a kindergarten was established in Phuoc My Village.

A symbol of the friendship between the two cities is Vietnam Quy Nhon-gil (Bokwang-ro 59-gil) in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu. Quy Nhon-gil, created in 2016, is Korea’s first Vietnam-themed street and is loved by both domestic and international tourists. That same year, Quy Nhon established ‘Yongsan Street,’ the first street in Vietnam named after a foreign city.

Seong Jang-hyun, mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “The district has joined hands with sister cities to develop overseas sales channels for excellent Hallyu products in Vietnam,” adding, “Once the COVID-19 situation improves, we plan to hold investment briefings in Vietnam for domestic sister cities and businesspeople.”

Korean Promotion Center under construction in An Phu Ting New City, Qui Nhon City, Yongsan-gu

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.