NDO/VNA - The Vietnam News Agency (VNA), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Vietnam, on February 10 launched a photo exhibition on the Vietnam - DPRK traditional relations and imprints of leaders of the two countries.

The exhibition is taking place on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relations, and the 65th anniversary of the first meeting between President Ho Chi Minh and Chairman Kim Il-sung.

The online photo exhibition is being introduced by the VNA at https://link.gov.vn/TLAVNTT (Vietnamese) and https://link.gov.vn/PICVNTT (Korean) from February 10 to 17.

On display are over 70 black-and-white and colour photographs selected from the archives of the VNA and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), highlighting activities of the two countries' high-ranking leaders and bilateral cooperation over the past seven decades.

In 1957, the Vietnam-DPRK bilateral relations witnessed an important milestone with President Ho Chi Minh's friendship visit to the DPRK from July 8-12. Pyongyang people lined the streets to welcome the President as the car carrying him passed by.

A year later, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and DPRK Prime Minister Kim Il-sung visited Vietnam from November 28 - December 2. Hanoians flocked to the streets, waving national flags of the two countries to greet the DPRK leader. The two leaders visited Nam Dinh textile factory, and Tu Liem district of Hanoi where a Vietnam – DPRK friendship project was located.

In recent decades, reporters of the two State-owned news agencies of the two countries have continued to take photos of visits and meetings of the two countries' high-ranking leaders as well as the exchanges of delegations at all levels. Prominent among them are photos featuring the official friendship visit to Vietnam in late February 2019 by Chairman of the Workers’ Party of the DPRK and Chairman of the country’s State Affairs Commission Kim Jong-un which demonstrated the fine traditional friendship preserved, inherited, consolidated and developed by generations of leaders of the two Parties and States.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, VNA Deputy General Director Nguyen Tuan Hung said that this is the first time the VNA and the KCNA have joined hands to organise an online photo exhibition to popularise the historic moments in the cooperation between the two countries over the past seven decades, contributing to deepening the traditional bilateral relations.

Hung noted that the VNA and the KCNA signed a cooperation agreement on information exchange in 1958, and added that the two sides are working to sign another for the new development period.

He expressed his hope that with the photos displayed on the digital platform, the public will gain an insight into the two countries’ time-honoured relations so as to contribute more to preserving and developing the bilateral ties.

For his part, Ri Ho Jun, Counsellor and Charge d'affaires of the DPRK Embassy in Vietnam, expressed his belief that the effective coordination in preparation work between the two sides is a prerequisite for the success of the photo exhibition, and also marks a good start for activities to celebrate the friendship between the two nations in the future.