To Lam and Lee Jae Myung to Meet in Hanoi

Vietnamese President To Lam and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung are set to meet in Hanoi next week, according to five people familiar with the matter. The meeting marks an early foreign engagement for Lee, who assumed the South Korean presidency following a period of domestic political turbulence. Vietnam and South Korea maintain deep economic ties, with South Korea one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam and a major trading partner. The bilateral relationship spans manufacturing supply chains, electronics, and consumer goods, with South Korean conglomerates such as Samsung operating large-scale production facilities in Vietnam. The agenda for the meeting has not been disclosed, but the timing coincides with ongoing global trade uncertainty and regional realignment pressures stemming from U.S. tariff policy. Any agreements or joint statements emerging from the summit would be watched for signals on investment flows, trade facilitation, or geopolitical alignment in the context of broader Indo-Pacific dynamics.