Marking a milestone in Vietnam-North Korea development cooperation in the new era

Photo caption — General Secretary To Lam and General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un on the podium of honor, listening to the military band playing the national anthems of the two countries. Photo: Thong Nhat/ VNA

During more than two working days, the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation received a thoughtful, respectful, and sincere welcome with many exceptions from the host country, demonstrating the special respect of the Party and State of the DPRK people for the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation and for General Secretary To Lam personally.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said that it can be affirmed that the results achieved during the visit have opened a new chapter in the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and North Korea, marking an important milestone for the development cooperation in a new era of both nations. Based on the awareness and commitment of the two countries' senior leaders and the agreements signed during the visit, in the coming time, Vietnam and North Korea will promote the implementation and concretization of the results achieved in all aspects.

Vietnam and North Korea established diplomatic relations 75 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. In 1957, President Ho Chi Minh paid an official friendship visit to North Korea and during this visit, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that Vietnam and North Korea, though far apart, are very close in heart, though thousands of miles apart, are attached to each other like a close brotherhood.

During the State visit to the DPRK, during the talks, General Secretary To Lam and General Secretary and State President Kim Jong Un reviewed and expressed their appreciation for the traditional friendship between the two Parties and countries, which was personally built by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kim Il Sung and cultivated, inherited and promoted by generations of leaders of both sides; and the sincere and wholehearted mutual assistance during the arduous revolutionary years. The two leaders expressed their delight at the continued consolidation and enhancement of the relationship between the two Parties and countries.

The two leaders expressed their delight at the continued consolidation and enhancement of the relationship between the two Parties and countries, and agreed to jointly promote the Vietnam-DPRK relationship into a new, more practical and effective development phase, contributing to realizing the development goals of each country, for the happiness of the people of the two countries, and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Within the framework of the visit, the signing ceremony of bilateral cooperation documents between Vietnam and the DPRK took place in the capital city of Pyongyang. Accordingly, the cooperation documents include: Cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Letter of Intent between the Ministry of National Defense of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of National Defense of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on cooperation in the field of defense; Cooperation agreement between the Vietnam News Agency and the Korean Central News Agency; Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of health and medical science between the Ministry of Health of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Visiting the Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea, the General Secretary shared the difficulties and praised and appreciated the efforts of the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea who have promoted the spirit of solidarity, attachment, overcoming difficulties, and successfully completed the foreign affairs tasks assigned by the Party and State, contributing to promoting friendly relations. The General Secretary instructed to continue promoting the spirit of solidarity, responsibility, proactiveness, and creativity to better complete foreign affairs tasks; provide timely information, closely coordinate with domestic and local agencies; and promote the spirit of "mutual love and affection" to stabilize life together.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam and Politburo Standing Committee member, Party Central Committee Secretary, Head of the Central Organization Department of the Workers' Party of Korea Jo Yong Won cut the ribbon to inaugurate the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in the premises of the Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea.

Visiting and presenting gifts to students of Kieng Sang Kindergarten and the class named after President Ho Chi Minh, General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation were moved when watching the art performances performed by the school's students. The special performances praised the friendship between Vietnam and North Korea, traditional folk songs praised the love for the homeland and country, especially, the children sang the song "Who loves Uncle Ho Chi Minh more than children" and performed a unique piano solo.

Laying flowers in memory of President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, General Secretary To Lam wrote in the Guest Book, expressing that the high-ranking delegation of the Party and State of Vietnam was deeply moved to visit Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the eternal resting place of the two great leaders of the Korean people - President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il - close friends and comrades of the Party, State and people of Vietnam.

Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is located in the capital city of Pyongyang. Initially, this building was used as the office of President Kim Il Sung. After President Kim Il Sung passed away, the building was renovated and converted into a memorial place, preserving the body of President Kim Il Sung and began to open to the public to visit since 1995. After General Secretary Kim Jong Il passed away, his body was also placed here.

General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation visited Wangyeongdae, the hometown of President Kim Il Sung. The house where President Kim Il Sung was born and raised is preserved in its original state; and visited the Museum of Korean Juche Music Art Development, which comprehensively and visually demonstrates the historical development of Korean revolutionary music art.

On the evening of October 10 (local time), General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (October 10, 1945 - October 10, 2025) held at Kim Il Sung Square, capital of Pyongyang. The parade of the armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was the culmination of activities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Kim Il Sung Square is located in the center of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It was inaugurated in 1954 and named after President Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This is one of the largest squares in the world, with a capacity of more than 100,000 people. On the roofs of buildings around the square are installed stands to display slogans and banners. This is also the place where parades, marches, and large-scale art performances are held.

Attending the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, General Secretary To Lam met with Chairman of the United Russia Party, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev; and met with Politburo Standing Committee member and Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang.

With these results, this visit is a step forward, concretizing the consistent foreign policy of the Party and State, which is independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development, valuing relations with traditional friendly countries, demonstrating the spirit of Vietnam as a responsible member, a country on the path of innovation and successful innovation in the international community.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/chinh-tri/dat-dau-moc-hop-tac-phat-trien-viet-nam-trieu-tien-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-20251011200814691.htm