The 70-year relationship between Vietnam and North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is on an official visit to Vietnam today, marking the first visit by a North Korean supreme leader in 55 years. He arrived in Vietnam on February 26th to attend a summit with US President Trump.

North Korea is a country of 26.3 million people located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, bordering Russia, China, and South Korea. North Korea was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, in 1950, after China and the Soviet Union.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Vietnam and North Korea had close relations due to many similarities. At that time, both countries were divided, fighting against the United States, and receiving support from countries such as China and the Soviet Union.

Following the end of the Korean War (1950-1953), North Korea, with the support of the Soviet Union and China, maintained and developed its centrally planned socialist economy, achieving some successes in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in infrastructure development, mining, and heavy industry.

The Vietnam-North Korea relationship was strengthened amidst the flames of the war against the US, when North Korea sent nearly 100 young pilots and officers to study and train alongside Vietnamese fighter pilots, and even directly participate in combat.

"There were two groups of North Korean soldiers who came to Vietnam to learn aircraft operating techniques. After mastering the techniques, some North Korean soldiers requested permission to practice and fight in battles like the Vietnamese Air Force," said Major General Phan Khac Hy, former Political Commissar of the Air Force Command.

During the period 1966-1969, North Korean pilots fought primarily in the airspace surrounding Hanoi, including Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, and Hung Yen provinces, shooting down 26 American aircraft. 14 of them died and were buried in a cemetery in Bac Giang province.

In addition, North Korea also helped Vietnam train hundreds of students in the 1960s and 1970s and provided aid in the form of cement, steel, textiles, medicine, and fertilizer.

In 1957, Vietnam-North Korea relations witnessed a significant milestone when President Ho Chi Minh visited North Korea. People in Pyongyang lined the streets to welcome him as his car passed by. During the visit, President Ho Chi Minh met with Prime Minister Kim Il Sung, visited the Gochang farm in South Pyongan Province, and schools in Pyongyang.

A year later, Prime Minister Kim Il-sung visited Vietnam. Many people in Hanoi poured into the streets to applaud and welcome him. President Ho Chi Minh accompanied him to the Nam Dinh textile factory. Kim Il-sung also visited the Army Officer School in Son Tay and the Vietnam Military History Museum.

In June 1961, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong paid an official visit to North Korea. Three years later, Kim Il-sung returned to Vietnam in November 1964. This time, he and his delegation visited Ha Long Bay.

Following the reunification of the country in 1975, Vietnam followed a different path from North Korea. Vietnam normalized relations with South Korea in 1992 and with the United States in 1995. The Doi Moi (Renovation) reforms, initiated in 1986, boosted the socialist-oriented market economy, boosting exports by 70%, with reforms such as ending price controls and encouraging the establishment of private enterprises. Vietnam is now one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, North Korea faced numerous difficulties, especially regarding energy and food. North Korea remained isolated from the rest of the world, and tensions with the United States and South Korea persisted.

In 1993, North Korea and Vietnam jointly invested approximately $3.5 million in a silk reeling factory in Hai Duong, with raw materials supplied by Vietnam and machinery (imported from Japan) provided by North Korea. In 1994, Vietnam withdrew from the joint venture, and North Korea operated independently. In 2001, North Korea sold the factory back to Vietnam.

Diplomatic relations between Hanoi and Pyongyang have been significantly strengthened since the late 2000s with visits such as the visit to North Korea by former General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in 2007 and former Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh in 2008. Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong-nam and Prime Minister Kim Yong-il of the North Korean Cabinet also visited Vietnam in 2001 and 2007, respectively.

A highlight in the bilateral relationship is the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Kindergarten in Hanoi and the Kyongsang Vietnam-Korea Friendship Kindergarten in Pyongyang. The Hanoi school, established in 1978 with funding from North Korea, is now considered one of the leading kindergartens in Hanoi.

In June 2012, on the occasion of Kim Il-sung's 100th birthday, North Korean officials visited a kindergarten in Hanoi with six teachers and 13 students from Kyongsang. The school received the First Class Friendship Order from North Korea and the First Class Labor Order from Vietnam.

Vietnam has repeatedly provided rice aid to North Korea. During the severe famine in North Korea from 1994-1998, Vietnam provided 100 tons of rice in 1995 and 13,000 tons in 1997. Between 2000 and 2012, Vietnam provided North Korea with 22,700 tons of rice, 5 tons of raw rubber, and $50,000. In 2016, Vietnam provided $70,000 in flood relief aid.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and North Korea reached US$8 million in 2014 and US$11.6 million in 2015, with exports to North Korea totaling US$6.13 million and imports from North Korea US$5.47 million. In 2016 and 2017, Vietnam exported a total of US$10.3 million to North Korea. In the first nine months of 2018, Vietnam exported US$497,000 worth of goods to North Korea, with no import figures available.

After coming to power in 2011, Chairman Kim Jong-un implemented a "Dual Development" strategy with two main focuses: economic development combined with strengthening nuclear capabilities. In April 2018, North Korea declared the completion of this policy, deciding to halt nuclear and missile testing to concentrate on economic development.

In his New Year's address in 2019, Kim Jong-un emphasized that one of the important tasks was to increase production and improve the people's living standards. All economic sectors were accelerated to achieve the goal of making North Korea a self-reliant and powerful "economic superpower," leveraging science and technology.

In the same speech, Kim emphasized the spirit of self-reliance, peace, and friendship, declaring that North Korea will continue to unite and develop friendly cooperative relations with all countries that are friendly to North Korea.

Mr. Pham Tien Van, former Vietnamese Counselor in North Korea, assessed Chairman Kim Jong-un's visit to Vietnam as a historic event, a major milestone in Vietnam-North Korea relations.

"This visit demonstrates continuity within North Korea, which will foster mutual understanding and trust between the two countries at a high level, helping to chart the course for future relationship development," he remarked.