Vietnamese Ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Le Ba Vinh
On this occasion, the Vietnamese Ambassador to North Korea, Le Ba Vinh, gave an interview to the press about the significance of General Secretary To Lam 's visit.
Ambassador, could you please explain the significance of General Secretary To Lam's state visit to North Korea and his participation in the 80th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea?
Ambassador Le Ba Vinh: Seventy-five years ago, on January 31, 1950, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea officially established diplomatic relations. Since then, the traditional friendship between the two countries has always been valued by the two Parties, the two States, and the people of both countries, and has been continuously strengthened and developed. Both sides maintain mutual support and assistance in the struggle for national liberation and the building of socialism in each country.
Building upon that solid foundation of relations, the two sides have consistently maintained exchanges and high-level delegations at all levels, fostering greater political trust and yielding more substantive cooperation results. Therefore, following the highly successful official friendship visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and Chairman of the State Council of North Korea Kim Jong Un, General Secretary To Lam's visit to North Korea serves as a vivid testament to the enduring and steadfast friendship between the two Parties, two States, and the peoples of the two countries. The visit also provides an opportunity for Vietnam to convey its independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy, positioning itself as a friend and a reliable and responsible partner of the international community.
The visit is even more significant as it takes place at a crucial time for each Party, each country, and for bilateral relations. Vietnam has just successfully organized major events in 2025, such as the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and national reunification, the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution, and the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2nd. Vietnam is striving to successfully achieve the goals and tasks set forth in the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party; conducting a review of 40 years of reform and focusing on preparations for the 14th National Congress. North Korea is also focusing on preparing for the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (October 10, 1945 - October 10, 2025), accelerating the completion of the goals set by the 8th National Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, and urgently preparing for the 9th National Congress. Therefore, this visit will be a significant milestone in the development of each country and in the traditional friendship between Vietnam and North Korea, which is currently developing very well.
On this occasion, key leaders of the two Parties and two countries will engage in in-depth discussions to identify major directions and measures to promote the effective and substantive development of bilateral relations, in line with the interests and aspirations of the people of both countries, in accordance with relevant regulations, and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Ambassador, could you summarize the relationship between Vietnam and North Korea over the past 75 years and describe the current state of cooperation between the two countries?
Ambassador Le Ba Vinh: North Korea was one of the first three countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, after China and the Soviet Union, immediately after President Ho Chi Minh issued the declaration of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (January 14, 1950) expressing the desire to establish relations with other countries. In 1955, Vietnam opened an embassy in Pyongyang and North Korea also established an embassy in Hanoi.
North Korea was also one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level with the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, agreeing to allow Vietnam to establish a permanent representative office of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in Pyongyang from 1966 and a permanent representative office at the ambassadorial level of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam from 1969. It also provided full funding for the operation and living expenses of the representative office of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and later the Embassy of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam until the end of 1975. For its part, since the end of the war, the Vietnamese people have repeatedly provided the North Korean people with tens of thousands of tons of rice.
Throughout the history of the formation and development of relations, the two countries have conducted many exchange activities and delegation visits, most notably the official friendship visit to North Korea by President Ho Chi Minh in 1957; the official friendship visit to Vietnam by the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and Prime Minister Kim Il-sung in 1958; the visit to North Korea by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong in 1961; the unofficial visit to Vietnam by President Kim Il-sung in 1964; the official visit to North Korea by Chairman of the State Council Vo Chi Cong in 1988; the official visit to North Korea by President Tran Duc Luong in 2002; the official friendship visit to North Korea by General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in 2007; the official friendship visit to Vietnam by Chairman Kim Jong Un in 2019; and on this occasion, the state visit to North Korea by General Secretary To Lam.
During the visits, both sides agreed to strengthen high-level visits and contacts, expand exchanges and delegations at all levels through Party, State and people's organizations channels in a practical and effective manner to enhance mutual understanding and share experiences in areas where both sides have needs.
Cooperation in the fields of culture, sports, and people-to-people exchanges has been strengthened, thereby contributing to enhancing mutual understanding between the people of the two countries regarding the fine tradition of friendship between Vietnam and North Korea. Agricultural cooperation is one of the highlights. The two sides also regularly exchange practical and effective information to enhance mutual understanding and share experiences in other areas where both sides have strengths and needs.
Based on the achievements made so far, I am confident that the Vietnam-North Korea relationship will continue to be preserved, inherited, and strongly developed, thereby making practical contributions to the cause of building and developing each country, bringing the traditional friendship between Vietnam and North Korea to a new level, for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/chuyen-tham-cua-tong-bi-thu-dau-an-quan-trong-trong-quan-he-viet-nam-trieu-tien-102251008073313539.htm
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