The ceremony was held Friday. Participants included North Korean Vice Defense Minister Ryo Chol-ung, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Truong Thang, North Korean Ambassador Ri Sung-guk, embassy staff and Vietnamese defense officials.
North Korea is believed to have sent nearly 400 personnel to Vietnam during the war, including about 90 pilots between 1966 and 1969. The plaque bears the words Feelings of Friendship between Vietnam and North Korea, notes that diplomatic relations began in January 1950, and describes material and moral assistance during Vietnam’s resistance to the United States.
Its accompanying text says the fighting and self-sacrificing spirit of Korean soldiers symbolized international solidarity and helped strengthen friendship between the countries. The delegation also visited a memorial to fallen Korean People’s Army soldiers in Bac Ninh, north of Hanoi, and laid a wreath. The group has been in Vietnam since September 22.
The visit comes amid closer contacts between Pyongyang and Hanoi. Earlier this month, Kim Jong-un wrote to Vietnamese President To Lam, pledging stronger ties for Vietnam’s 81st founding anniversary. Relations have warmed since October last year, when Lam became the first Vietnamese president in 18 years to visit North Korea.
In May, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung held talks with Choe Son-hui. The following month, the countries’ security ministers met in Pyongyang to discuss broader cooperation on public security and law enforcement.