North Korea and Vietnam commemorated the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations by declaring this year as the "Year of Friendship" and exchanging congratulatory messages between their leaders.
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, reported on the 31st that Chairman Kim Jong Un sent a congratulatory message to President V??ng ??nh Hu? of Vietnam. According to the newspaper, Chairman Kim said, "On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, I send warm greetings on behalf of the Workers' Party of Korea, the government of North Korea, and the Korean people," adding, "The decision by the two countries to designate this year as the 'Year of Friendship' corresponds to the shared aspirations and wishes of the peoples of both countries to elevate and develop the friendship and cooperative relations, which have been forged and strengthened through the joint struggle for socialism, to a new higher level."
Earlier, President V??ng ??nh Hu? of Vietnam also sent a congratulatory message to Chairman Kim, stating, "I am pleased to announce the launch of the '2025 Year of Friendship' and based on this, we will carry out and promote various meaningful activities."
The newspaper also reported that V? V?n Th??ng, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the top-ranking official in Vietnam, expressed confidence that "by jointly conducting excellent events on the occasion of the '2025 Year of Friendship,' a new milestone will be set in the traditional friendship between the two countries."
North Korea and Vietnam established diplomatic relations on January 31, 1950. While Kim Jong Il, the former Chairman of the National Defense Commission, never visited Vietnam, Chairman Kim Jong Un visited Hanoi in March 2019 during the North Korea-U.S. summit.
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