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President Moon Jae-in (right) shakes hands with football coach Park Hang-seo, head of the Vietnamese national men’s soccer team, at the team’s training center on March 22.

By Sohn JiAe and Yoon Jihye
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae

On March 22, President Moon Jae-in met football coach Park Hang-seo, who has emerged as a soccer hero in Vietnam, as the first scheduled item on his official itinerary for his state visit to Vietnam.

President Moon went to the Vietnamese national football team’s training center straight from the airport in Hanoi, giving words of encouragement to coach Park and to his players, who finished in second place at the AFC U-23 Championship in January, a first in the history of Vietnamese football.

President Moon said to Park that, “You made all Koreans proud,” and went on to encourage the team by saying that, “It was too bad that it snowed in the final game against Uzbekistan. The Vietnamese team could have won if it weren’t for the heavy snow, but there will be more chances later.”

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President Moon Jae-in (third from left), Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (fourth from left) and other dignitaries take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST), at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi, on the first day of President Moon’s state visit to Vietnam.

After the visit to the soccer grounds, President Moon stressed the importance of cooperation between Korea and Vietnam on science and technology at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST).

The VKIST, set to be completed in 2020, is a project modeled on the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and is being funded jointly by the two countries. Its goals are to cultivate human resources in the sciences and technology to encourage the mutual exchange of knowledge and the sustainable development of Vietnam.

During the ceremony, President Moon said, “The start of the VKIST has helped Vietnam to get one step closer to its dream of constructing a modernized, industrial nation. I hope that Korea’s industrialization, done in just half a century, can be a help in making the Vietnamese dream come true.”

President Moon emphasized that the VKIST is an example of the two countries’ firm trust and willingness to cooperate. He said, “This spacious area on which we stand today will become the base of exchanges and cooperation, where talent and companies in the sciences and technology will prepare for the future together.”

President Moon Jae-in will start his second day in Vietnam by paying tribute to the Vietnamese founder at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and will then meet important government officials, including the Vietnamese president, Tran Dai Quang.

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President Moon Jae-in, first lady Kim Jung-sook and other dignitaries pose for a photo with the Vietnamese men’s national U-23 squad, led by coach Park Hang-seo (top, third from left). The team took second place at the AFC U-23 Championship in January.

jiae5853@korea.kr