On Monday, Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, sent a congratulatory message to Nguyen Phu Trong, who was re-elected as the top leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam during their recent party congress.
The state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun published the full text of Kim’s congratulatory message on the 26th, which was dated January 23.
In his message, Kim stated that he extends warm congratulations and comradely greetings on the successful conclusion of the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Comrade Trong’s re-election as General Secretary of the Central Committee.
He continued that Trong’s reappointment as General Secretary is a testament to the high trust placed in you by the entire party and the Vietnamese people, recognizing your dedicated efforts to strengthen the party and improve the well-being of the citizens. Kim hopes the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam will successfully lead the implementation of the decisions made at the party congress.
Kim also expressed that he’s confident that the friendly cooperation between the two parties and nations, with their long-standing history and traditions, will expand practically across all sectors, in line with the agreements it reached during its meeting in Pyongyang last October.
In a separate article, the newspaper reported that the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam took place from January 20 to 23.
The report noted that Trong emphasized that the congress slogan Unity, Democracy, Discipline, Breakthrough, Development is both a call for unity and a mandate of responsibility from history. He outlined goals for realizing the vision of building a peaceful, independent, and prosperous socialist Vietnam.
Prior to the Vietnamese party congress, North Korea’s Workers’ Party Central Committee had also sent a congratulatory message on January 19, which was reported in the Rodong Sinmun on January 20.
The message stated that it believes the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam will serve as a crucial opportunity to strengthen the party and consolidate the state and social systems in accordance with the new demands of the era. He wishs for the congress’s success.
Vietnam is a long-standing ally of North Korea, and bilateral relations have further strengthened since Trong’s visit to North Korea last October for the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Workers’ Party, where he met with Kim.
North Korea is expected to hold its own 9th Party Congress around February this year and appears to be closely monitoring Vietnam’s party congress. The Communist Party of Vietnam is likely to reciprocate with similar congratulatory messages around the time of North Korea’s upcoming party congress.