Vietnam and North Korea pledge closer defence ties during Hanoi talks

HANOI — Vietnam and North Korea will deepen their defence co-operation after some recent "positive results", Vietnam's defence ministry said after talks between the countries' deputy defence ministers in Hanoi this week.

Nguyen Truong Thang, Vietnam's deputy defence minister, held talks on Thursday (Sept 24) with his North Korean counterpart, Ryo Chol-ung, who was part of a visiting defence delegation, the ministry said in a statement issued late on Thursday.

Within the overall framework of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the DPRK (North Korea), defence co-operation has always been a key area receiving attention and active promotion from the Party, State, and military leadership of both countries," the statement cited Thang as saying.

He said there had been "positive results" in areas including exchanges of delegations, party and political work, and education and training, and called on both sides to implement a defence co-operation letter of intent signed in 2025.

Ryo Chol-ung spoke highly of the traditional ties between the two ruling parties, the two states and the two armed forces, and discussed a number of matters related to bilateral defence co-operation, according to the statement.

Vietnam and North Korea have maintained diplomatic ties ​dating back to the Cold War, and are among the world's five communist-ruled countries besides China, Cuba and Laos.

Last month, Vietnam said it would build a memorial and renovate a cemetery dedicated to North Korean servicemen killed fighting during the Vietnam War.

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