Vietnam wishes that businesses from the Republic of Korea (RoK)would increase their investment in the country, especially industrieswith high-added value and modern technology-intensive industries.

The statement was delivered by Deputy Minister of Planning andInvestment Dang Huy Dong at a seminar, jointly held by his ministry, theRoK Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the RoK Business Association andthe RoK Embassy, in Hanoi on September 29.

Theseminar focused on policies and opportunities for infrastructuredevelopment investment within the public-private partnership (PPP)framework and policies to encourage foreign investment in industrialzones.

Deputy Minister Dong said the Vietnamesegovernment applauded the RoK foreign direct investment (FDI) flow inVietnam , which, he said, greatly contributes to the country’ssocio-economic development.

The RoK Ambassador ParkSeok Hoan expressed his belief on cooperative relations between the twocountries’ businesses, saying with an open investment environment,Vietnam will become a more attractive destination for the RoKinvestors.

By the end of August this year, the RoKranked 88 th among Vietnam ’s FDI providers with 2,605 projectsregistered at 23 billion USD, according to the Ministry of Planning andInvestment.

The two governments have agreed to lift the biletaral relations to strategic partnership.

The RoK businesses have been involved in most of sectors in Vietnam, from infrastructure, telecommunications and mechanics to real estate,auto manufacturing, shipbuilding and restaurant services./.