▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) poses for a photo with Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam during a welcome ceremony in Pyongyang on Oct. 9, 2025, for the Vietnamese leader, who arrived in the North Korean capital to participate in celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Vietnamese FM-N Korea

Vietnamese FM visits N. Korea as special envoy for country's leader

SEOUL, May 13 (Yonhap) -- Vietnam's top diplomat has arrived in North Korea as a special envoy for the country's top leader To Lam, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and his delegation arrived in North Korea on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

They were received at Pyongyang International Airport by Vice Foreign Minister Pak Sang-gil and Vietnamese Ambassador to North Korea Le Ba Vinh.

Trung is widely expected to brief North Korean officials on recent political developments in Vietnam, including Lam's continuation as Communist Party general secretary and his concurrent holding of the presidency.

The KCNA did not disclose the purpose of the visit. However, the trip comes after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to Vietnam last month, raising speculation that Hanoi could play a mediating role regarding inter-Korean relations.

The visit comes as ties between North Korea and Vietnam have gained momentum following Lam's trip to Pyongyang in October last year, which marked the first visit to North Korea by a Vietnamese top leader in 18 years.

At that time, Lam held summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and attended celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

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