Pyongyang: North Korea has held a celebratory event to mark the recent key party congresses of both North Korea and Vietnam, state media reported Friday. The event signifies the strengthening of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the photography exhibition, hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Pyongyang, took place at the Taedonggang Diplomatic Club on Thursday. It featured videos, photos, and archival materials that highlighted the historical and ongoing friendship and cooperation between the leaders of the two countries. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that notable attendees included Pak Sang-gil, North Korea's vice minister of foreign affairs, and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung. Trung is visiting North Korea as a special envoy of Vietnamese President To Lam, along with Le Ba Vinh, Vietnam's ambassador to Pyongyang.

The event coincides with North Korea's ninth congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, held in February, and Vietnam's 14th national congress of the Communist Party, convened in January. The meetings signify key moments for both parties in defining their political trajectories.

On the same day as the event, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Trung visited significant sites in North Korea, including the Juche Tower and a school dedicated to training elite party cadres. Trung's visit to North Korea began on Tuesday, during which he engaged in discussions with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Kim Song-nam, the secretary of the Workers' Party's central committee and chief of its international affairs department.

This visit marks a period of warming ties between North Korea and Vietnam, following a summit in October when Vietnamese President To Lam visited Pyongyang, marking the first visit by a Vietnamese top leader to North Korea in 18 years.