Strategically located and endowed with strong innovation capacity as well as a rich historical and cultural legacy, Suwon Special City (Republic of Korea) is steadily asserting itself as one of the country’s most dynamic development hubs, where tradition and modernity harmoniously intersect in the flow of global integration.
The Center of Gyeonggi Province and Korea’s First Planned City
Located approximately 30 km from the Korean capital of Seoul, Suwon serves as the capital of Gyeonggi Province and is the most populous non-metropolitan city in the Republic of Korea, with a population of around 1.25 million. With its status as a Special City, Suwon enjoys a high degree of autonomy, enabling it to play a pivotal role as an administrative, economic, and cultural center in one of the nation’s most vibrant regions.
A corner of Suwon Special City
Suwon bears a profound historical imprint as Korea’s first planned city, developed in the 18th century with a vision that balanced military defense and commercial prosperity. At the heart of the city lies the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress – a UNESCO World Heritage site – standing as a vivid symbol of advanced urban planning and the innovative spirit that has defined Suwon since its early days.
Suwon Hwaseong Culture Festival
Where History Meets Innovation: Global Industry and Education
While Hwaseong Fortress represents Suwon’s historical depth, the city’s modern identity is shaped by innovation and high-tech industries. Suwon is home to the headquarters of Samsung Electronics, a global leader in ICT and semiconductor technologies, serving as a key driving force behind the city’s economic and technological development.
Alongside industrial growth, Suwon boasts a strong educational ecosystem with five major universities, forming an important regional hub for education and research. A well-trained, high-quality workforce provides a solid foundation for research, development, and technology transfer, enhancing the city’s long-term competitiveness.
Advanced Economy and Investment Attraction
As part of its economic development strategy, Suwon is reshaping its economic landscape through the establishment of the Circular Advanced Science Innovation Cluster, linking major hubs such as the Gwanggyo Bio-Innovation Cluster, the Top-dong Innovation Valley, and the Suwon R&D Science Park. This model aims to build a self-sustaining technology ecosystem while promoting key industries including biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and energy.
Notably, Suwon is among the leading local governments in Korea in supporting enterprises through the Suwon Enterprise Saebit Fund. Acting as a “pump-priming” engine for the local economy, the first Saebit Fund launched in 2024 raised KRW 314.9 billion—far exceeding its initial target—and invested in 19 innovative local companies, helping promising firms scale up and gradually enter global markets. Building on this success, Suwon is now organizing the second Saebit Fund with a projected scale of over KRW 445.5 billion, bringing the city’s total enterprise support funds to approximately KRW 760 billion—the largest among basic local governments in Korea—creating a strong and sustainable growth platform for both startups and established enterprises.
In parallel, Suwon is actively pursuing designation as a Free Economic Zone (FEZ), aiming to create a deregulated and investor-friendly business environment. With a vision to become the “Korean Silicon Valley,” Suwon is widely regarded as a promising partner for international cooperation in industry, innovation, and economic development.
Global Leadership in Sustainable Development
Beyond economic growth, Suwon has established itself as a pioneer in sustainable development and smart city initiatives. A landmark achievement was the EcoMobility World Festival 2013, the world’s first large-scale urban experiment transforming an entire neighborhood into a car-free zone, drawing widespread international attention.
Building on this legacy, Suwon has hosted numerous major United Nations conferences and international forums on environment, education, and sustainable development. Most recently, the city reaffirmed its role as a regional technology and MICE hub by successfully hosting the 2025 ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) Asia-Pacific Forum, bringing together global experts and policymakers.
The Sports Capital of Korea
In addition to economic development and innovation, Suwon is also known as the “Sports Capital” of Korea. The city has hosted four major FIFA tournaments, including the historic 2002 FIFA World Cup.
World Cup Suwon Stadium
With a diverse system of professional sports teams in football, volleyball, baseball, and basketball, sports have become an integral part of Suwon’s socio-cultural life, contributing to the image of a dynamic, modern city with a high quality of life.
Promoting Hai Phong – Suwon Cooperation on the Foundation of Strong Sister-City Relations with Hai Duong
The cooperative relationship between Suwon (Republic of Korea) and the former Hai Duong Province has long been recognized as a model of effective and enduring local-level cooperation between Viet Nam and Korea. Since the establishment of sister-city relations in 2004, further reinforced through memoranda signed in 2019 and 2024, the two localities have maintained broad-based cooperation in fields such as economy, culture, tourism, education, and sports, guided by mutual respect for each other’s socio-cultural identity and traditions.
A hallmark of this partnership has been the regular exchange of delegations and cultural exchanges. Each year, delegations from Hai Duong and Suwon have alternately participated in major cultural events such as the Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival and the Con Son – Kiep Bac Spring Festival, fostering mutual understanding while sharing experience in festival organization, heritage conservation, and heritage valorization.
Educational cooperation and youth exchanges have also yielded positive outcomes. Ajou University of Suwon—one of Korea’s leading universities—has implemented scholarship programs for students and officials from Hai Duong, alongside academic exchanges, volunteer activities, and student interactions. Over the years, Hai Duong students have actively participated in international youth art exchange programs hosted by Suwon, with many artworks receiving awards and being exhibited annually, thereby promoting Vietnamese culture and strengthening bonds between younger generations.
Building on these strong foundations, and in the new context following Viet Nam’s administrative reorganization, under which Hai Duong Province was merged into Hai Phong City, Hai Phong has proactively sought to expand and deepen direct cooperation with Suwon. On 12 August 2025, a delegation of Hai Phong City visited and had an official meeting with Suwon City leaders to discuss orientations for promoting bilateral cooperation through the formulation and signing of a new sister-city agreement, inheriting the successful cooperation framework previously established with Hai Duong.
In particular, upon invitation from Suwon City leaders, in September 2025, a Hai Phong City delegation participated in the 62nd Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival. The visit enabled Hai Phong to gain deeper insights into Suwon’s culture, people, heritage values, as well as its experience in managing and enhancing the value of UNESCO World Heritage properties, thereby strengthening mutual trust, understanding, and cooperation between the two cities.
The city delegation paid a courtesy visit to the leadership of Suwon City (August 2025)
The city delegation participated in the Suwon Hwaseong Festival (September 2025)
In the coming period, building on the solid sister-city relations with Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Suwon will continue consultations toward the signing of a new sister-city agreement. This new framework is expected to inherit existing cooperation achievements while expanding practical collaboration in culture, education, people-to-people exchange, urban development, and heritage management, further advancing the friendship and cooperation between Hai Phong and Suwon in a substantive, effective, and sustainable manner.