First ladies of Vietnam, South Korea enjoy lotus tea, watch ao dai performance

Phan Thi Thanh Tam, wife of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong invited Kim Keon-hee, wife of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, to sip lotus tea.

Kim expressed her fondness of lotus flowers and Vietnamese lotus tea.

The two first ladies then watched a fashion show that featured a collection of ao dai inspired by Vietnamese women in rural villages.

They also listened to Vietnamese and Korean folk music ensembles.

While enjoying the concert, First Lady Tam introduced Kim to betel quid, which is famously chewed by Vietnamese women in rural areas.

South Korea’s first lady Kim Keon-hee at a tea party on June 23, 2023. Photo courtesy of the World &Vietnam Report

Earlier, President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife attended an official welcoming ceremony chaired by Thuong at the Presidential Palace in the capital.

After the ceremony, Thuong and his counterpart had a meeting, while Kim left the Presidential Palace wearing a green ao dai.

Born in 1972, Kim majored in painting at Kyonggi University and earned a master’s degree in art education, followed by a doctorate in digital content design. Kim married Yoon in March 2012.

This trip is Yoon’s first visit to Vietnam after taking office in May. It was also his first visit to any Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam and Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992.

The relationship was upgraded to a “strategic cooperative partnership” in October 2009, and then a “comprehensive strategic partnership” last December.