North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui held talks with Vietnamese counterpart Le Hoai Trung in Pyongyang on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported Thursday, as the two countries continue diplomatic engagement.
Both sides agreed on deepening interactions and cooperation in various countries and strengthening strategic communications and support between overseas policy-making organisations, KCNA reported.
“Vietnam places strong emphasis on strengthening its ties with North Korea in a more practical way, (and) reaffirms steadfast commitment to national independence and socialism,” Le Hoai Trung said in a post on X.
In Pyongyang, Le Hoai met with top North Korean officials and congratulated them on the “successful” organization of the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. He also briefed the hosts on the major outcomes of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Le Hoai is visiting North Korea as a special envoy of President To Lam, state-run media reported Wednesday.
Trung arrived in the capital Pyongyang on Tuesday with a delegation and was welcomed at the airport by North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Sang-gil and Vietnam’s ambassador to North Korea, Le Ba Vinh, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
KCNA did not share further details or the purpose of the visit, though analysts expect Trung to brief North Korean officials on recent political developments in the region.
The trip also follows South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Vietnam last month, fueling speculation that Hanoi could seek a broader diplomatic role in regional affairs, including inter-Korean relations, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Citing last year’s visit by Vietnam’s leader To Lam and Le Hoai’s ongoing trip, Khang Vu, an expert on Vietnam, said that ties between Pyongyang and Hanoi are growing.
“North Korea’s growing diplomatic horizon meets Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy,” Vu wrote on X.
Ties between Vietnam and North Korea are improving following To Lam’s trip to Pyongyang in October last year – the first visit by a top Vietnamese leader to North Korea in 18 years – when he held summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and participated in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
