Korea-Vietnam Summit Strengthens Cooperation Between Pyeongtaek and Da Nang
[Suwon Ilbo=Park Chan-hyeok Reporter] At the Korea-Vietnam summit held on the 11th, Pyeongtaek and Da Nang, major economic hub cities of both nations, conducted an 'exchange of friendship agreement.'
At the ceremony, Pyeongtaek Mayor Jung Chang-sun and Da Nang Party Secretary Nguyen Van Quang exchanged the agreement in the presence of President Lee Jae-myung and Vietnam General Secretary To Lam.
Pyeongtaek and Da Nang had already concluded a friendship agreement in April, but the exchange ceremony was held again as Da Nang was promoted to a centrally-controlled city in July.
The fact that local government exchange activities were held at a summit, which is rare, is interpreted as both nations' intention to expand the scope and depth of state-level cooperation to include local governments.
In fact, the cooperation framework between Pyeongtaek and Da Nang is expected to serve as an opportunity to solidify the multilayered diplomatic network between Korea and Vietnam.
The agreement contents between the two cities have also been expanded and made more concrete compared to April. In addition to the economic, educational, cultural, and sports sectors included in the previous agreement, cooperation in future industries and environmental sectors has been included.
Specific contents such as support and promotion of free trade zone development between the two cities and strengthened cooperation in cutting-edge industries including semiconductors and artificial intelligence have also been included in the agreement.
As a result of this exchange ceremony, Pyeongtaek and Da Nang plan to promptly pursue concrete projects for sustainable development of both cities.
In this regard, Mayor Jung Chang-sun and Nguyen Van Quang, Da Nang's top-ranked party secretary, met in Seoul a day before the exchange ceremony and held a consultation to discuss future implementation plans.
During the consultation, both sides agreed on △dispatch of experts in semiconductors and free trade zones △regular exchange meetings △expanded cooperation in environmental sectors including carbon neutrality.
Mayor Jung Chang-sun said, "Vietnam's growth potential is expanding, and there are many areas where we can achieve mutual benefit with our country, so Pyeongtaek has built trust with major Vietnamese cities including Da Nang and Tam Ky." He continued, "The fact that local government exchange activities took place at the state summit level is because both governments recognize the need for substantive cooperation in each region and at industrial sites."
Mayor Jung further stated, "Pyeongtaek will actively cooperate with Da Nang to create mutual benefits and establish exemplary local government cooperation cases."
Meanwhile, Da Nang was integrated with Quang Nam Province and promoted to a centrally-controlled city in Vietnam's administrative reorganization on July 1st. As a result of the integration, Da Nang's area expanded to 11,860 square kilometers, nearly ten times larger than before, exceeding Gyeonggi Province's area (10,200 square kilometers), and its population increased from 1.27 million to 3 million.