HANOI, Vietnam - President Lee Jae Myung and Vietnamese President To Lam, joined by their spouses, visited a Unesco cultural heritage site in Hanoi on Friday to build on the friendship strengthened by their summit earlier in the week.
South Korea and Vietnam leaders strengthen ties through historic cultural visit
Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, accompanied by the Vietnamese president and his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly, toured the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, which was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2010. The citadel was built in the 11th century by the Vietnamese Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) on the remains of a Chinese fortress dating from the 7th century.
Lee and Lam held a bilateral summit on Tuesday during Lee's four-day state visit to Vietnam - an opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the energy, infrastructure and science and technology sectors.
The Vietnamese leader had visited Korea in August of last year as Lee's first state guest since taking office.
The two presidential couples took a commemorative photo with the citadel in the background and toured the artifact exhibition hall and the national treasure exhibition hall. They then watched a traditional Vietnamese performance.
Lee and Lam were seen chatting and laughing while admiring the performance, building on the rapport from Tuesday's bilateral summit and state banquet.
After the performance, the Vietnamese presidential couple presented Lee and Kim with a photo album containing pictures from their state visit. The two leaders looked at the album together and conversed for quite some time.
Lee gave Lam a Korean folk painting depicting a mythical creature and a pine tree, as well as a music frame featuring a caricature of Lam and his wife.
To Vietnam's first lady, Lee presented items from the National Museum of Korea, including a mother-of-pearl box decorated with a butterfly and vine motif and Korean beauty devices.
Kim and Ngo Phuong Ly toured the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology on Thursday as a separate event to build rapport between the first ladies.
On Thursday night, Lee and Kim explored the streets of the Old Quarter in Hanoi and took a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, a landmark in the heart of Hanoi where Vietnamese citizens enjoy their leisure time.
The presidential couple also dined on beef pho and fried rice on Dinh Liet Street.
Lee posted photos on Instagram of him walking along the streets of Hanoi and greeting the Vietnamese people.
"The evening in Hanoi was truly beautiful," he wrote. "I exchanged warm greetings with the Vietnamese people while walking around Hoan Kiem Lake and the alleys of the Old Quarter. This was an especially meaningful time because we were able to meet in an everyday setting rather than through a formal schedule."
Ahn Gwi-ryeong, the deputy spokesperson at the Blue House, said in a statement that Lee and Kim greeted the Vietnamese people in the streets, who welcomed the presidential couple, and that Lee encouraged a Korean student attending a local elementary school by patting his head.
Later Friday, Lee and Kim wrapped a six-day trip that also took them to India.
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