Maekyung Vietnam Forum 2026 to spotlight strategic industries, innovation cooperation

Maekyung Vietnam Forum 2026 to spotlight strategic industries, innovation cooperation

The Maekyung Vietnam Forum 2026 will bring together policymakers, business leaders and technology experts from Việt Nam and the Republic of Korea to discuss cooperation in strategic industries, trade, investment and innovation amid rapid technological and supply chain shifts.

Participants pose for a photo at the Maekyung Global Forum held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2025. Photo courtesy of the Maekyung Media Group.

The Maekyung Vietnam Forum 2026 is set to bring together policymakers, business leaders and technology experts from Việt Nam and the Republic of Korea to discuss cooperation in strategic industries, trade, investment and innovation.

Held under the theme “Korea–Vietnam: Advancing Together for National Rise”, the forum will focus on areas including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, digital transformation, energy transition and advanced manufacturing.

The event marks the return of the Maekyung Global Forum to Việt Nam for the first time since 2017 and is expected to reinforce the growing strategic partnership between Korea and Việt Nam amid global supply chain shifts and rapid technological change.

Organisers said the forum aims to spotlight Việt Nam’s role as a regional economic hub and foster inclusive, sustainable Korea–Vietnam–ASEAN cooperation across trade, investment, and technology sectors.

Vietnamese participants are expected to include VinaCapital Group founding partner and CEO Don Lam, Saigon Hi-Tech Park Management Board head Nguyen Ky Phung, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Ho Sy Hung, FPT Digital chief strategy officer Vuong Quang Ngoc, and VIFC-HCMC vice chairman Nguyen Huu Huan.

Delegates from Korea will include Kim Seok-ki, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea; Sohn Kyung Shik, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation; Kim Ki Mun, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs; KOTRA president Kang Kyungsung; Samsung Vietnam president Na Ki Hong; SK Innovation CEO and president Hyeongook Choo; and LOTTE Mart CEO Cha Woo Chul.

Participants pose for a photo at the Maekyung Global Forum held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2025. Photo courtesy of the Maekyung Media Group.

According to the organisers, business networking and matching sessions will seek to create momentum for new bilateral projects and investments, while participants will also exchange views on Việt Nam’s investment environment and regional economic opportunities.

The forum is organised by Maeil Business Newspaper, which has hosted international business forums around the world since launching the Washington Forum in 2004. Over the past two decades, the Maekyung Global Forum series has expanded across major cities in the United States, China, Japan, India, the Middle East and ASEAN.

Among its ASEAN-focused events were forums held in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia and Việt Nam, helping establish the platform as a major bridge for Korea-ASEAN economic cooperation.

Recent editions have attracted high-level participation from regional leaders. During the 2023 Maekyung Indonesia Forum, Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the Korean business delegation at the Presidential Palace, while Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan delivered the keynote address.

The 2024 Maekyung Cambodia Forum featured a high-level investment seminar chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol and discussions with Prime Minister Hun Manet on strengthening bilateral economic ties.

In celebration of Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2025, the Maekyung Malaysia Forum was held in Kuala Lumpur from August 26-27, further expanding the initiative’s regional footprint.

Organisers described Việt Nam as one of ASEAN’s key growth engines, driven by a large domestic market and increasing investment in high-technology industries, adding that the forum is expected to support deeper cooperation and create new opportunities for shared prosperity between the two nations as Việt Nam moves towards its goal of becoming a high-income economy by 2045.

Bizhub