HANOI -- In a pre-summit event, a North Korean delegation visited a new Vietnamese factory in Haiphong, a major industrial port city which has emerged as the center of economic development in the Southeast Asian country.
The 20-member group led by Ri Su-yong, a senior party official in charge of international affairs, was escorted by a Vietnamese provincial secretary into VinFast, a car factory run by Vingroup, one of Vietnam's top private enterprises.
The delegation included Defense Minister No Kwang-chol and O Su-yong, a ruling party official in charge of economic affairs. TV footages showed the North Korean delegation watching a presentation from VinFast officials in a conference room before inspecting the factory.
Earlier in the day, the delegation visited Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination east of Hanoi, according to Vietnamese media reports. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, who founded the communist country, visited the place in 1964.