Kuala Lumpur, Aug. 13 -- The state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam from August 10-13 not only marked a significant leap in Vietnam - RoK relations, but also contributed to advancing peace and prosperity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the bloc is stepping up both intra- and extra-regional cooperation toward this goal, a Malaysian scholar has said.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondent in Kuala Lumpur, Collins Chong Yew Keat, Foreign Affairs, Security & Strategy Analyst at the University of Malaya, said the visit elevated the bilateral ties to a new level across all fronts.

Politically, the two countries agreed to enhance exchanges at all levels ...