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| People of Pyongyang (North Korea) warmly welcomed President Ho Chi Minh leading the Vietnamese Party and Government delegation to pay a friendship visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from July 8-12, 1957. (Source: VNA) |
Ambassador, what is the significance of General Secretary To Lam 's State visit to North Korea and his attendance at the 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Korean Workers' Party?
At the invitation of 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, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam will pay a State visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and attend the 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Workers' Party of Korea from October 9-11. This is a high-level visit with many important meanings, specifically:
Firstly, this is Comrade To Lam's first visit to North Korea as General Secretary and the first visit by a General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam to North Korea in 18 years since General Secretary Nong Duc Manh's visit to North Korea in 2007.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to North Korea Le Ba Vinh. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea) |
Second, the visit takes place in the context of Vietnam and North Korea celebrating the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Year, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (January 31, 1950 - January 31, 2025). This is a vivid demonstration of the traditional friendship between the two countries in this special year.
The visit was made even more meaningful when General Secretary To Lam and senior North Korean leaders attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in the grounds of the Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea. President Ho Chi Minh laid the foundation for the Vietnam-North Korea relationship, so this event not only has profound cultural-political and symbolic value but is also a vivid demonstration of the loyal and close friendship between the two Parties, States and Peoples.
The Ho Chi Minh Monument will become a destination of historical significance, contributing to educating future generations of the two countries about the fine tradition of Vietnam-North Korea friendship.
Third, the visit takes place at a crucial time for each Party, each country and the bilateral relationship. In particular, 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 August Revolution and the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2. Vietnam is striving to successfully implement the goals and tasks set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; summarizing 40 years of innovation and focusing on preparations for the 14th National Congress.
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| General Secretary and President To Lam received Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to Vietnam Ri Sung Guk to present his credentials in August 2024. (Source: VNA) |
At this time, North Korea is focusing on preparing activities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (October 10, 1945 - October 10, 2025), speeding up the completion of the goals set by the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea and urgently preparing for the 9th Congress.
Therefore, the visit is Vietnam's gratitude to international friends, including North Korea, for their selfless contributions and companionship with the Party, State and People of Vietnam in the process of building and defending the country.
Fourth, the visit takes place in the context of the Vietnam-DPRK relationship maintaining a positive development momentum in recent times. Following the official friendship visit to Vietnam by DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un in March 2019, this State visit to DPRK by General Secretary To Lam will be an important milestone in bringing the traditional Vietnam-DPRK friendship to a new height.
The visit is an opportunity for key leaders of the two Parties and two countries to have in-depth exchanges and identify major directions and measures to promote the effective and substantive development of bilateral relations, in accordance with the aspirations of the two peoples, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, and strengthening relations with traditional friendly countries, including North Korea, the visit also affirmed the policy of the Party and State of Vietnam to always attach importance to the traditional friendship between Vietnam and North Korea, founded by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kim Il Sung and cultivated by generations of leaders and people of the two countries.
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| General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong held talks with Chairman 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 occasion of his official friendship visit to Vietnam in March 2019. (Source: VGP) |
Could the Ambassador review the relationship between Vietnam and North Korea over the past 75 years and tell us about the current situation of cooperation between the two countries?
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.
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, right after President Ho Chi Minh issued the Declaration of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (January 14, 1950) expressing his desire to establish relations with other countries. In 1955, Vietnam opened an embassy in Pyongyang and North Korea also established an embassy in Hanoi.
Over the past 75 years, the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the DPRK has always been valued by the two Parties, States and Peoples, and has been constantly consolidated and developed. The two sides have maintained mutual support and assistance in the struggle for national liberation and the construction of socialism in each country.
During the resistance war against the US to save the country, North Korea supported Vietnam both materially and spiritually, providing Vietnam with equipment and machinery, helping to train students and interns; issuing a Resolution of the Korean Workers' Party Congress supporting Vietnam in the fight to protect the North and liberate the South (October 1966); sending pilots to Vietnam; establishing a Committee to support Vietnam; naming many schools, factories, and cooperatives after heroes Nguyen Van Troi and Le Van Tam...
Early recognition and establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassador level with the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, North Korea agreed to let Vietnam establish a permanent representative office of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in Pyongyang from 1966 and a permanent representative office at the Ambassador level of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam from 1969, and at the same time provided all operating and living expenses for the Representative Office of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and then the Embassy of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam until the end of 1975. For its part, since the war, the Vietnamese people have repeatedly supported the North Korean people with tens of thousands of tons of rice.
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| Politburo member, Party Central Committee Secretary, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee attended the reception on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (October 10, 1945 - October 10, 2025) on October 2. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
The two countries carried out many exchange activities and delegations, most notably the official friendship visit to North Korea by President Ho Chi Minh in 1957; the official friendship visit to Vietnam by Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, Premier of North Korea Kim Il Sung in 1958; the visit to North Korea by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong in 1961 (on this occasion the two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation); 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 and on this occasion the State visit to North Korea by General Secretary To Lam.
The two countries signed many important agreements such as: Cultural cooperation agreement (1957), Scientific and technical cooperation agreement (1958), Friendship and cooperation treaty between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1961), Trade and maritime agreement (1962), Mutual medical assistance agreement (1966), Civil aviation transport cooperation agreement (1977), Maritime transport agreement (2002), Trade agreement (2002), Judicial assistance agreement (2002), Investment promotion and protection agreement (2002), Double taxation avoidance agreement (2002).
The two sides maintain the mechanism of the Vietnam-DPRK Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (the most recent meeting was the 9th meeting held in November 2014 in Hanoi).
Cooperation in the fields of culture and sports between Vietnam and North Korea has been maintained actively and brought many impressions in recent times. Since 2013, every two years, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam has sent an art troupe to attend the April Spring International Art Festival in Pyongyang; during the period when North Korea closed its borders to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic, Vietnam still participated by sending video recordings.
Many cultural and sports exchange activities were organized, contributing to enhancing understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries. Typical examples include: Vietnam National Art Troupe performing friendship in North Korea (April 2019); Vietnam Martial Arts Troupe visiting and performing in North Korea (September 2019); Hanoi Football Club and Vietnam Weightlifting Team competing in North Korea (October 2019); North Korea Taekwon-Do Troupe visiting Vietnam for exchange and performance on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Year (April 2025).
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| North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (center) attends a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea in March 2025. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea) |
In all fields, agricultural cooperation is one of the bright spots. Vietnamese agricultural experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Agricultural Genetics Institute, the Institute of Food Crops and Food Plants, and the Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute have helped Korean agricultural experts with advanced techniques in rice breeding and rice cultivation, especially techniques for breeding salt-tolerant rice varieties.
It can be affirmed that the traditional friendship between Vietnam and North Korea in recent years has continued to be consolidated and developed, with the milestone being the official friendship visit to Vietnam by North Korean President Kim Jong Un (March 1-2, 2019).
During the visit, the leaders of the two countries agreed to increase high-level visits and contacts, expand exchanges and delegations at all levels through the Party, State and people's organizations in a practical and effective manner to enhance mutual understanding and share experiences in areas of mutual need. The leaders of the two countries agreed to regularly and effectively maintain dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, including the policy exchange mechanism at the Deputy Foreign Minister level and the Intergovernmental Committee on economic, scientific and technological cooperation, study the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation in areas suitable to the capabilities and needs of each side, on the basis of international regulations, expand cultural, artistic, sports and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, North Korea closed its border to prevent the epidemic, so the exchange of delegations between the two countries was temporarily interrupted. However, the two sides still maintained exchanges and contacts in diverse and flexible forms on the occasion of important events of each country.
Most recently, General Secretary and State President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un, Prime Minister Pak Thae Song, and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui sent congratulatory messages on the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2). General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Acting Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung also sent congratulatory messages to the respective leaders of North Korea on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of North Korea's National Day (September 9).
On the Party channel, the relationship between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Workers' Party of Korea continues to be maintained, playing a strategic role in the development of the overall bilateral relationship. Thanks to that, the relationship between the two countries has always been good. North Korea always appreciates and thanks Vietnam for maintaining the operation of the Vietnamese Embassy in North Korea at the Ambassador level in the context that many countries have closed their representative offices and withdrawn their staff, while a few countries still maintain the operation of their representative offices at the temporary charge d'affaires level during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In March 2024, Kim Song Nam, alternate member of the Politburo and Head of the International Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, visited and worked in Vietnam. Through this visit, the two countries officially restarted bilateral delegation exchange activities after more than 4 years of interruption due to the pandemic.
Afterwards, the Deputy Minister-level policy exchange meeting between the two Foreign Ministries was also resumed after 8 years with the visit to North Korea and the attendance of Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu (October 21-26, 2024). The two sides exchanged measures to promote the substantive development of bilateral relations, meeting the needs of the two countries and in accordance with international law.
The State visit and attendance at the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea by General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will be an important milestone in the Year of Friendship, contributing to developing the traditional Vietnam-DPRK friendship to a new height.
Thank you very much, Ambassador!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tham-trieu-tien-bieu-hien-sinh-dong-nhat-cua-quan-he-truyen-thong-huu-nghi-viet-nam-trieu-tien-330074.html
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![[Photo] Closing of the 13th Conference of the 13th Party Central Committee](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/10/08/1759893763535_ndo_br_a3-bnd-2504-jpg.webp)
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