Participants at the signing ceremony. Photo: VNA

The Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IPO) under the Ministry of Science and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) of the Republic of Korea (RoK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strengthening intellectual property cooperation at a ceremony on June 22 in Hanoi.

The document is to replace the one inked in 2009.

Addressing the event, IPO General Director Dinh Huu Phi spotlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam – RoK relations, which was upgraded to comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in December last year.

The RoK is now the largest foreign investor in Vietnam. The two countries have established and joined numerous bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA) which took effect in December 2025, providing a foundation for promoting bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation.

The two offices have witnessed close and effective cooperation, Phi said, noting that joint cooperative programmes and projects between them have served as a testament to the good cooperation relationship between Vietnam and the RoK in general, and the special support of the RoK government for Vietnam's intellectual property system in particular.

KIPO General Director Lee Insil said the event provided an opportunity for officials from both agencies to share experiences and information related to trademark and ink the second phase of Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2023, whose first phase was piloted from June 1, 2019 to June 31, 2021.

The two agencies will share updated information on intellectual property development, experiences, policies, and common approaches to enhance efficiency in intellectual property management and appraisal.

IPO General Director Dinh Huu Phi (R) and KIPO General Director Lee Insil at the signing ceremony. Photo: VNA

They will also conduct research and expert exchange and support the implementation of multilateral cooperation frameworks that both sides are members of, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), regarding the protection of intellectual property rights.

She expressed her hope that the MoU will help deepen the KIPO - IPO partnership, enhance the ability of the two sides, and further develop the intellectual property system of each side.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also signed with the RoK side an MoU on cooperation in copyrights and related rights in 2013.

Under the MoU, the two countries have conducted many cooperative activities, including exchanging documents on legal and technical matters in the field of copyrights and related rights and cooperating in projects and events of international organizations like the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

The two sides also facilitated the exchange and collaboration between their management, law enforcement and supporting agencies in the field.

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