Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo and Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee secretary Le Thanh Hai met in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss ways to expand business investments and exchanges between the two sides.

“Korean enterprises have played an important role in signing the free trade agreement and building a firm partnership between Korea and Vietnam,” the Vietnamese secretary said.

During their visit to Korea from May 23-30, the delegation of 14 high-ranking Ho Chi Minh City officials including vice chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Nguyen Huu Tin, met seven top officials from Kumho Asiana Group and its affiliates. 

He said Kumho Asiana was a respected company in Vietnam with consistent corporate social responsibility activities.

As part of its social contributions to Vietnam, the group founded the Kumho Asiana Vietnam Scholarship & Cultural Foundation in 2007. Each year, the foundation grants scholarships that cover tuition fees for outstanding Vietnamese students until they graduate college.

“Since Asiana Airlines first launched a direct air route to Ho Chi Minh City in 1993, Kumho Asiana Group has actively pushed to expand into the Vietnamese market,” Park said.

The group’s affiliates including its construction arm Kumho E&C and Kumho Tire have been expanding their presence in the country by launching subsidiaries and factories in major Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)