Relationship dossier
North Korea
Vietnam
Relationship assessment
Longstanding ties and diplomatic engagement, alongside friction over North Korea’s nuclear program
North Korea toward Vietnam
+35North Korea has maintained longstanding state and party ties with Vietnam under the 1961 friendship and cooperation treaty. Kim Jong Un’s 2019 visit to Vietnam, including a state visit, demonstrated continued high-level engagement.
Vietnam toward North Korea
+25Vietnam has maintained diplomatic engagement with North Korea and hosted Kim Jong Un in 2019. It has also supported denuclearization and implemented international sanctions related to North Korea’s nuclear program.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines a durable framework of socialist-era friendship and recurring high-level engagement with friction over North Korea’s nuclear program and Vietnam’s support for denuclearization and sanctions. The available picture suggests continued but constrained cooperation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
North Korea and Vietnam maintain a longstanding relationship rooted in socialist-era ties and a 1961 friendship and cooperation treaty. North Korean leaders have visited Vietnam, including Kim Jong Un in 2019. Vietnam has continued diplomatic engagement while supporting denuclearization and implementing international sanctions related to North Korea’s nuclear program, creating a significant point of friction.
Areas of tension
- North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and Vietnam’s support for denuclearization and related international sanctions.
Key developments
North Korea and Vietnam signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation.
Kim Jong Un visited Vietnam, including for a state visit and the second US–North Korea summit in Hanoi.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of recent trade and other practical cooperation is unclear.