Vietnam Proposes Three Priorities for Mekong-ROK Cooperation

As co-chair for 2025, Vietnam has put forward three priority areas to advance cooperation between the Mekong region and the Republic of Korea (ROK). These proposals aim to enhance regional collaboration and achieve concrete outcomes. The proposed priorities include, first, the sustained maintenance of high-level exchanges. This is expected to deepen communication among related countries and share cooperation directions. Second, it is proposed to further enhance the effectiveness of the Mekong-ROK Business Forum. This plays a crucial role in promoting collaboration among the private sector and strengthening economic ties. Furthermore, it is proposed to organize the Mekong-ROK Forum for the first time, creating an opportunity to share project outcomes and implementation experiences. This aims to learn from past initiatives and improve the quality of future cooperation. The inclusion of promoting innovative solutions in water resource management through the third Mekong-ROK Water Forum is also significant. This reflects the importance of sustainable water resource utilization and management in the Mekong River basin. These proposals demonstrate Vietnam's proactive role in regional cooperation. Vietnam has consistently focused on deepening regional cooperation and improving its effectiveness, having also made proposals for substantive outcomes in other regional cooperation frameworks such as the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and ASEAN-EU and ASEAN-Japan ties.