70 years of relations between Vietnam and North Korea

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

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

In the 1950s and 1960s, Vietnam and North Korea had close relations due to many similarities. Both countries were divided at this time, fighting against the US and receiving support from countries such as China and the Soviet Union.

After the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea sought support from the Soviet Union and China to maintain and develop a centralized socialist economy, achieving some successes in the 1960s and 1970s, especially in developing infrastructure, mining, and heavy industry.

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

"There were two waves of North Korean soldiers coming to Vietnam to learn aircraft techniques. After mastering the techniques, some North Korean soldiers asked us to let them practice and fight in the battlefield 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 mainly in the airspace around Hanoi such as Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong and Hung Yen, shooting down 26 American aircraft. 14 people died and were buried in the cemetery of Bac Giang province.

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

In 1957, Vietnam-North Korea relations witnessed an important milestone when President Ho Chi Minh visited North Korea. Pyongyang residents lined both sides of the road to welcome President Ho Chi Minh's car as it passed by. During the visit, President Ho Chi Minh met with Premier Kim Il Sung, visited the Gochang farm in South Pyongan province and a school in Pyongyang.

A year later, Premier Kim Il Sung visited Vietnam. Many Hanoians poured into the streets to applaud him. President Ho Chi Minh accompanied him to the Nam Dinh textile factory. Kim Il Sung also visited the Army Officers 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.

After reunification in 1975, Vietnam took a different path from North Korea. It normalized relations with South Korea in 1992 and with the United States in 1995. The Doi Moi reforms launched in 1986 promoted a socialist-oriented market economy, with exports increasing by 70 percent, with reforms such as ending price controls and encouraging private enterprise. Vietnam is now one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, North Korea faced many difficulties, especially in terms of energy and food. North Korea remained closed to the rest of the world and tensions with the US and South Korea had not yet dissipated.

In 1993, North Korea and Vietnam jointly invested in a silkworm factory worth about $3.5 million in Hai Duong, with raw materials supplied by Vietnam and machinery (imported from Japan) supplied by North Korea. In 1994, Vietnam withdrew from the joint venture and North Korea operated independently. In 2001, North Korea sold the factory 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 Premier of the North Korean cabinet Kim Yong-il visited Vietnam in 2001 and 2007, respectively.

A bright spot in bilateral relations is the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Kindergarten in Hanoi and the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Kyongsang Kindergarten in Pyongyang. The school in Hanoi was established in 1978 with funding from North Korea and is now considered one of the top 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 6 teachers and 13 students from Kyongsang. The school received the First Class Friendship Medal from North Korea and the First Class Labor Medal from Vietnam.

Vietnam has provided rice aid to North Korea many times. When a severe famine occurred in North Korea in 1994-1998, Vietnam provided 100 tons of rice in 1995 and 13,000 tons of rice in 1997. During the period 2000-2012, Vietnam provided 22,700 tons of rice, 5 tons of raw rubber and 50,000 USD. In 2016, Vietnam provided 70,000 USD in flood aid.

Two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and North Korea reached 8 million USD in 2014 and 11.6 million USD in 2015, of which exports to North Korea were 6.13 million USD and imports from North Korea were 5.47 million USD. In 2016 and 2017, Vietnam exported a total of 10.3 million USD to North Korea. In the first 9 months of 2018, Vietnam exported 497,000 USD and there was no import data from North Korea.

After taking power in 2011, President Kim Jong-un proposed a dual-track development strategy focusing on economic development combined with strengthening nuclear capabilities. In April 2018, North Korea announced the completion of this policy, deciding to stop nuclear and missile testing to focus on economic development.

In his speech at the beginning of 2019, Mr. Kim Jong-un emphasized that one of the important tasks is to increase production and improve people's lives. All economic sectors are being accelerated to realize the goal of turning North Korea into a self-reliant "economic power" using science and technology as a lever.

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

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

"This visit shows the succession within North Korea, will create mutual understanding and trust between the two countries at a high level, helping to outline the direction of future development of relations," he commented.