North Korea first established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on January 31, 1950 during the French Indochina War.
During the Vietnam War, North Korea provided military and economic support to North Vietnam, and about 200 North Korean fighter pilots were deployed in North Vietnam, participating in hostilities.
North Korea strongly opposed Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1979, hosting Cambodia's King Sihanouk for part of his time in exile after the invasion.
In 1996, North Korea failed to pay for a Vietnamese shipment of 20,000 tons of rice, leading commercial relations between the two countries to significantly diminish.
Vietnam has been an important route for North Korean refugees seeking asylum and repatriation to the South. In July 2004, South Korea airlifted 468 North Korean refugees out of Vietnam, which led to Vietnam cracking down on North Korean migrant networks in the country and a period of inter-Korean tension over the refugee issue.
Trade between North Korea and Vietnam in recent years has been minimal.
In 2014, Vietnam exported $34k to North Korea with the top products being coffee and tea extracts. This is the most recent trade data available, according to the OEC.
North Korea’s ICBM launch on July 4th, 2017 was met with condemnation by Vietnam who said these tests increase tension in the region. Vietnam called upon North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.
In February 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un came to Vietnam on a 60-hour train ride to attend the Hanoi Summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
- On March 1 and 2, Kim Jong Un paid an official visit to Vietnam, meeting with the Vietnamese President, Prime Minister, and National Assembly Chairwoman.
- Both countries agreed on tightening diplomatic and economic ties, which was damaged by previous North Korean support to the Khmer Rouge.
In February 2019, Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh traveled to Pyongyang on Tuesday following North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho’s visit to Hanoi in 2018. The previous trip by Ri was reportedly aimed at studying Vietnam’s model of reforms and economic development.
In August 2019, the Vietnam Television (VTV) broadcast one leg of the long-running and enduringly popular television franchise The Amazing Race Vietnam 2019 filmed in Pyongyang.This is the first time that North Korea has permitted a reality TV show to be filmed in the country.
On February 1, 2023, North Korea highlighted its friendly relationship with Vietnam in its state media report, hoping to continue to develop their ties on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Vietnam's ambassador to North Korea and embassy staff members also laid a flower basket at the statues of late North Korean former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the anniversary.
In March 2024, Le Hoai Trung, the Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, spoke with a North Korean delegation, led by the Director of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Song Nam, to discuss ways to expand their political ties. The two discussed working to implement the agreements already signed between the two nations and to increase cultural exchanges.
In July 2024, North Korea appointed Ri Kil Song to be the ambassador to Vietnam. This position had been vacant since 2019.
In September 2024, North Korea’s Ministry of Defense invited Vietnamese military officials to Pyongyang to discuss strengthening military ties as well as defense policies. These discussions included an agreement to bolster bilateral defense cooperation via research and info sharing, military technology, training practices, and prepare for high-level delegation visits.
In October 2024, DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Pak Song Gil invited his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Minh Vu, to Pyongyang to discuss ways to further develop friendly relations between the two nations.
On January 31, 2025, Kim Jong Un dubbed the year a “year of friendship” as the DPRK and Vietnam celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations. Kim sent President Luong Cuong a message emphasising the continual growth of the relationship and noted the historical challenges the two leaders had to overcome.

Sources include: OEC, The Korea Herald, Asia Times, Vietnam News, The New York Times, CNBC, AP News, VNExpress, Lowy Institute, the East-West Center, SBS, Yonhap News, Reuters, KBS, The Korea Times, NK News, Korea JoongAng Daily, and KCNA