Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam is expected to visit North Korea next month, two Vietnamese officials said, marking the first visit in nearly 20 years for a Vietnamese leader to the largely isolated nation.
The two Communist countries maintain close diplomatic ties but have currently no trade relations, according to the Vietnamese embassy in Pyongyang.
The possible visit, with preparations still underway, has not been officially announced by either side. Vietnam's ministry of foreign affairs and North Korea's embassy in Hanoi did not respond to requests for comment.
The two officials declined to indicate a precise time frame for the visit and the issues that may be discussed, but one official said Lam would meet North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.
The last time a Vietnamese leader visited North Korea was in 2007 when the head of the ruling Communist Party Nong Duc Manh embarked on a three-day trip to the country, marking the first visit by a Vietnamese party chief since the late President Ho Chi Minh in 1957.
In a rare foreign trip, Kim visited Hanoi in 2019 as part of a visit whose highlight was a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, then serving his first term at the White House.
Multiple lower-ranking officials have met in either Hanoi or Pyongyang in recent years, according to a list of meetings on the website of the Vietnamese embassy in North Korea, which shows meetings resumed last year after a five-year pause.
This year the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Lam visited South Korea in August
The visit would follow Lam's trip in August to South Korea, a country with which Pyongyang has tense relations. Lam was the first foreign leader hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung since he took office in June.
Hanoi is highly reliant on investments from Seoul. Samsung Electronics 005930.KS and other large Korean multinationals are leading contributors to Vietnam's economy, with existing investments exceeding $90 billion, largely in factories.
The latest year for which data on trade with North Korea is available is 2016, when Vietnam exported to Pyongyang goods worth nearly $3 million, according to the Vietnamese embassy.
North Korea has for decades faced international sanctions largely linked to its nuclear weapons programme.
Kazakhstan is preparing sweeping military reforms after 14 service members died during exercises in the Caspian Sea. President Kassym-Jomart Tokaye...
Investing in children means more than funding schools and hospitals. At a major international summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, leaders and experts ...
Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi...
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court in Batumi will on Wednesday hear a lawsuit seeking to ban five Georgian opposition parties, four of which collectively gained 784,820 votes (37.79 per cent) in the country’s last national elections in 2024.
Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi, which is forecast to bring strong winds and torrential rain, and though the storm is weakening it could still make direct landfall on the island.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order expanding access to tax-exempt diesel as soaring fuel prices frustrate voters ahead of the midterm elections. But farmers say using the fuel on public roads is too risky, while many other drivers cannot get hold of it.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 will take place from 17 September to 9 October next year in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Friday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that ‘illegitimate’ protests would be banned in the coming days. He blamed ‘seditious’ ultra-left groups and vandals for last weekend’s riots and looting, as authorities prepare for fresh demonstrations on Saturday.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment