(LEAD) Yoon, Vietnamese president agree to develop bilateral ties

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with phone talks; CHANGES headline; TRIMS)

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol held telephone talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday during which they agreed to develop bilateral ties, Yoon's spokesperson said Wednesday.

During the 30-minute talks, the Vietnamese president congratulated Yoon for winning the election and asked him to visit Vietnam as soon as possible, the spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said.

The Vietnamese president also hoped that Yoon would make achievements in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and spurring an economic recovery from the pandemic, Kim said.

Yoon and the Vietnamese president also agreed to bolster cooperation for North Korea's denuclearization and stabilization in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Kim.

Phuc was the sixth foreign leader to speak with Yoon since his election, after U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

hague@yna.co.kr
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