Vietnam's top leader To Lam to visit North Korea

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the visit will take place from Oct. 9 to 11, at the invitation of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission.

Party General Secretary To Lam at a National Assembly session on Feb. 15, 2025. Photo by Pham Thang

This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and North Korea, established on Jan. 31, 1950.

North Korea was among the earliest countries to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam, after China and the Soviet Union. During the 1960s and 1970s, North Korea trained hundreds of Vietnamese students, provided aid and sent hundreds of military pilots to support Vietnam in its resistance war against the United States.

In 2019, Kim Jong-un made an official visit to Vietnam and attended the U.S.–North Korea summit in Hanoi.

In September, on the occasion of North Korea's National Day, General Secretary To Lam and State President Luong Cuong jointly sent a congratulatory message to Kim Jong-un, expressing their desire to further develop more substantive and effective bilateral relations in line with the interests of the two peoples, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.