▲ South Korean first lady Kim Hea Kyung (L) and Ngo Phuong Ly, the wife of Vietnam's top leader To Lam (R), view toys during their visit to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on April 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ South Korean first lady Kim Hea Kyung (2nd from L) and Ngo Phuong Ly (3rd from L), the wife of Vietnam's top leader To Lam, view exhibits at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on April 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ First lady Kim Hea Kyung (R) and Korean actor Jung Il-woo pose for a photo during the Korean Culture and Tourism Festival at Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 23, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) first lady-Vietnam

(LEAD) First lady visits Hanoi museum with wife of Vietnam's top leader

(ATTN: UPDATES with Kim's attendance to Korean culture festival in last 2 paras; ADDS last photo)

By Kim Eun-jung

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- First lady Kim Hea Kyung and Ngo Phuong Ly, the wife of Vietnam's top leader To Lam, visited a folklore museum in Hanoi on Thursday and bonded over cultural exchanges.

Kim, who is accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on his state visit to Vietnam, toured the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology with Ly to view traditional clothing, textiles and jewelry of Vietnam's ethnic groups.

At a Korea-themed exhibit, Kim took note of a traditional Korean hat, called "gat," saying it was featured in the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters."

Kim wore a pink ao dai, Vietnam's traditional dress, which she received as a return gift from Ly, who had been presented with traditional Korean clothing, hanbok, during her visit to South Korea in August 2025.

Kim expressed hope that their exchange of traditional clothing would further promote cultural ties and deepen friendship between the peoples of the two nations.

Kim also visited the Korean Culture and Tourism Festival at Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, alongside Korean actor Jung Il-woo, who starred in the Korea-Vietnam co-production "Leaving Mom," a major hit in Vietnam.

During the festival, the first lady promoted Korean food and cosmetics, and demonstrated how to prepare gochujang butter bibimbap, the Korean mixed rice dish that blends diverse ingredients into a single bowl, featured in the Korean drama series "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."

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