North Korean Premier Kim Il-sung and Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh are all smiles as the latter arrives on his first official visit to North Korea from July 8 to July 12, 1957.
Ho Chi Minh and Kim Il-sung at the Pyongyang Garment Factory.
Kim Il-sung, grandfather of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, visited Vietnam in 1958 and 1964. He was the Premier of North Korea from 1948 to 1972 and its President from 1972 to 1994.
Ho Chi Minh and Kim Il-sung visit a farm in North Korea.
Ho Chi Minh and Kim Il-sung at the GangSon Steel Factory.
Ho Chi Minh says goodbye to Kim Il-sung and other officials in July 1957.
Kim Il-sung arrives in Hanoi, beginning his visit to Vietnam from November 28 to December 2, 1958. He was received by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong (standing in black). Thousands of Vietnamese citizens lined the streets to welcome the North Korean leader.
Ho Chi Minh receives Kim Il-sung at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, November 1958.
Kim Il-sung at the Nam Dinh Garment Factory in northern Vietnam.
For both his visits to Vietnam, Kim Il-sung boarded an armored train to travel to the country, according to Yonhap. The train had its own conference rooms, bedrooms and acted as a mobile office. It had between 17 and 21 cars and a maximum speed of 60 kph. It also had a small helicopter for emergencies.
Ho Chi Minh and Kim Il-sung make a toast before a welcome feast.
Kim Il-sung and General Vo Nguyen Giap (second R) at an exhibition of photos from the famous Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Kim Il-sung and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong sign a Joint Statement in December 1958, as President Ho Chi Minh and other officials watch.
Photo courtesy of the Ho Chi Minh Museum
