On October 16, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nong Duc Manh left Hanoi for an official visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the invitation of Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Korean Workers’ Party and Chairman of the National Defense Commission of the DPRK.

The visit is considered an important event in the friendship and cooperation between the two countries. For Vietnam, the DPRK is a country rich in cultural identity and resilient in the struggle for national sovereignty and a peaceful and unified Korea.

Situated in north-eastern Asia, the DPRK is not a large country (122,000 km2) with a population of nearly 24 million. The country is abundant in rare and precious minerals such as iron ore and coloured metals.

Immediately after the day of establishment, the DPRK defined the economic development guidelines of independence and self-reliance. As a result, from 1960-1990, the DPRK obtained some significant achievements in heavy industries such as mining, metallurgy, chemistry and capital construction.

However, since 1995, the DPRK’s economy has faced many difficulties due to natural disasters and complicated developments in the region and in the world.

Especially, serious droughts over consecutive years have led to the country’s shortage of around 1.5 million tonnes of food per year. In addition, the DPRK have difficulties in accessing energy and information due to steadily dropping production rates. But with the indomitable and self-confident tradition, the Government and people of the DPRK continue to stand firm and move forwards in the cause of national construction and development.

The international community is very impressed that despite economic difficulties, the DPRK has developed in such fields as culture, education and health. All children go to school when reaching their school age and students and pupils have the opportunity to study free of charge. People also enjoy free health check-ups. The DPRK has many major construction projects such as the Children’s Palace, the People’s Library, and the National Stadium. Especially, the Grand People's Study Hall in Pyongyang which is a proud and attractive destination for DPRK people and international visitors. Previously, the Hall was expected to be the Government House but the former President Kim II Sung rejected the request and decided to build the Hall.

Currently, the Hall has 30 million books, 600 study rooms and multimedia labs for students to study foreign languages and it can serve more than 12,000 people per day. The Hall has been effectively implementing the government’s policy on building a society where all people can study.

In daily life, DPRK people are very optimistic and proud of their cultural values. Ariang festival is held to mark the country’s important events, attracting thousands of visitors. The festival includes art performances including shape-arrangement displays to describe the history of the country’s development and the DPRK people’s aspirations for peace and unification of the two Koreas.

Despite many challenges faced by the country, the DPRK government has made some miraculous achievements in the fields of culture, education and society. This is the superiority of a socialist regime, which the DPRK is heading for.

Vietnam and the DPRK have many similarities in history and culture and the friendship between the two countries has been fostered by the late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kim II Sung. Both countries have shared mutual support and experiences in the past struggle against colonialism and imperialism for independence as well as in the present process of national construction and development in each country.