North Korea and Vietnam have declared the “Year of Friendship” to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, reaffirming their strong ties.
On Friday, Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, reported that General Secretary Kim Jong Un had sent a congratulatory message to Vietnamese President Luong Cuong In the message, Kim stated, “Declaring this year as the Year of Friendship between North Korea and Vietnam reflects the shared aspirations and desires of our two peoples to elevate and further develop the friendly and cooperative relationship that has been forged and strengthened through our common struggle for socialism.”
Cuong also congratulated Kim, stating, “I am pleased to jointly declare the launch of the 2025 Vietnam-North Korea Year of Friendship with you.”
The newspaper also published a congratulatory letter from Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary-General To Lam, who emphasized the historical friendship between the two nations and described them as one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations.
In particular, Lam highlighted Kim Jong Un’s visit to Hanoi in 2019 for the North Korea-U.S. summit, calling it a milestone that defined the strategic direction for the development of bilateral relations and left a significant mark on the friendship between the two nations.
He further mentioned that North Korea and Vietnam plan to hold joint events to strengthen their ties in celebration of the Year of Friendship.
On the same day, Rodong Sinmun published an article titled “North Korea-Vietnam Friendship Developing Under the Socialist Banner,” emphasizing the historical roots of bilateral relations, including Vietnam’s participation in past conflicts.
North Korea and Vietnam officially established diplomatic relations on January 31, 1950, and this year marks their 75th anniversary.
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea has been expanding its military and diplomatic exchanges with Vietnam, a fellow socialist ally.
Last August, North Korea appointed a new ambassador to Vietnam for the first time in over five years, as the position had remained vacant due to the pandemic. This move signaled the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Following this, in September, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Sang Gil visited Vietnam and met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son. That same month, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Hoang Xuan Chien visited Pyongyang and held talks with North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Min Sop, continuing high-level diplomatic and military exchanges between the two countries.