Seoul stands as a leading economic, cultural, and innovation hub in Asia, possessing the scale of a megacity with a population of nearly 10 million. The city's economic strength is powerfully driven by three main pillars: the Professional Services sector, which accounts for 27.1% of the workforce; the Trade & Transportation sector at 22.1%; and Public Administration at 15.2%. As the share of traditional manufacturing has declined to below 6.2%, Seoul has risen to the forefront globally in smart city indices and the knowledge economy. Today, it is not only home to the headquarters of global conglomerates like Samsung and Hyundai, but also serves as a leading ecosystem driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with flagship sectors in artificial intelligence, big data, fintech, and advanced urban transit systems
Former Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai meets with leaders of the Korea Enterprises Federation and South Korean business representatives. - Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Web Portal
Outstanding cooperative milestones between the two localities have made quantum leaps through substantive economic and educational projects. Bilateral trade thrives dynamically; notably, through strategic alliance networks like the CICON Association, Seoul facilitates solution transfers and comprehensive support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ho Chi Minh City. In the field of education, academic partnerships between leading universities have been actively implemented, highlighted by collaborative models that grant students from Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City the opportunity to study and earn degrees from prestigious South Korean universities.
Looking toward the future, particularly within the framework of the 3rd Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue in 2026 (FD 2026), the City is widening its corridors to attract direct investment and foster strategic alliances with partners from Seoul in five key sectors:
1. Technology Infrastructure and Data Centers: Constructing large-scale, international-standard data centers in Ho Chi Minh City in collaboration with major technology conglomerates, such as Samsung C&T.
2. Urban Rail Industry Development: Partnering in the localization and development of the urban rail (Metro) industry through the transfer of high-tech engineering and technology from Hyundai Rotem.
3. Science, Technology, and Digital Transformation: Advancing scientific research, innovation, AI integration, and the architecture of digital government toward comprehensive smart city development.
4. SME Ecosystem Support: Creating robust supply chain linkage mechanisms to enable enterprises from both sides to gain deep access into each other's markets.
5. High-Quality Human Resource Training: Expanding the scale of international academic exchanges to provide intensive training for the next generation of engineers and technical experts mastering core technologies for the digital economy.