At the reception, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lê Thành Đô expressed his pleasure in welcoming Mr. Kim Yong Ha and the members of the delegation to visit and work in Điện Biên. The Chairman wished the delegation a successful working trip, contributing to strengthening the friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the RoK in general, and between Điện Biên province and Gangwon-do province in particular.

Providing a general overview of the province’s potential and strengths, the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee stated: Điện Biên has a natural area of over 9,500 km² and a population of over 650,000 people, with 19 ethnic groups living together. It is the only province in the Northwest region with an airport that has a direct connection to Hanoi, creating favorable conditions for the development of trade, tourism, and international cooperation. In the agricultural sector, the province is developing many specialized cultivation areas for macadamia, coffee, and cinnamon, along with many specialty fruit trees of high economic value.

Regarding labor, Điện Biên has a young human resource pool, with 56% of the population of working age. The province currently has many vocational training institutions, such as Điện Biên College, Medical College, and Pedagogical College, with an annual enrollment of about 10,000 students, meeting the demand for vocational training and labor export. From 2020 to the present, Điện Biên has had 948 workers export their labor abroad, of whom 130 went to work in the RoK (accounting for nearly 14% of the province’s total exported labor). The Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee affirmed that cooperation in the field of labor and employment, especially the E-8 seasonal labor visa program with Gangwon-do province, is of great significance in creating job opportunities, increasing income, and contributing to sustainable poverty reduction and local economic development.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lê Thành Đô expressed his hope that the Gangwon-do provincial Agricultural and Fishery Human Resources Support Center will continue to pay attention to, connect with, and support Điện Biên in the fields of human resource development, vocational training, technology transfer, and labor export, especially in the E-8 seasonal labor visa program. Điện Biên is committed to creating all favorable conditions for Korean organizations and businesses to cooperate and invest effectively in the locality.

Mr. Kim Yong Ha thanked the leaders of Điện Biên province for their warm welcome, highly praised the locality’s potential for socio-economic development, and expressed his desire to promote cooperation between the two sides in the fields of agriculture and education. He particularly emphasized the field of labor, which contributes to strengthening the friendly relationship between Vietnam and the RoK for ever more sustainable development.

The meeting took place in a friendly and open atmosphere, demonstrating the determination of both sides to expand international cooperation, contributing to promoting Điện Biên’s socio-economic development in the new period.

Immediately after the courtesy reception with the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, the Department of Home Affairs held a working session with the delegation from the Gangwon-do provincial Agricultural and Fishery Human Resources Support Center to unify and specify the contents of the Draft Cooperation Agreement on receiving seasonal labor (proposed by the Center) before the two provinces sign it.

Accordingly, the Department of Home Affairs and the delegation from the Center agreed on several points of cooperation, such as: the selection criteria for workers aged 25-50; an employment term of 90 days to 5 months; the addition of the fields of investment promotion, tourism, and culture; and the issue of overtime work.

Based on the mutual agreement, the Department of Home Affairs will revise some contents of the draft to be more suitable and has requested that the Center pay attention to the issues of security, safety, and healthcare for Điện Biên’s workers when they go to work in The RoK. In the coming time, the department will regularly send officials to supervise the contracts. It will also finalize the draft and report to the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee and the leaders of the provincial People’s Committee, and will seek opinions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs on the content of the cooperation. It is expected that in early November 2025, a working delegation from Điện Biên province will travel to the RoK to sign the cooperation agreement.