Bilateral Relations: Kim Jong set to visit Vietnam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, has told the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh, that he wants to visit Hanoi next year.

A senior Vietnamese official said Kim “is seriously considering a visit to Vietnam.” The official said Kim, who has an aversion to flying, will go via the trans-Chinese railway. “North Korean officials asked us to keep everything, including Chairman Kim's itinerary, secret if his visit to Vietnam materializes at all, and to announce his visit only after his departure for Vietnam,” he added.

Kim has hinted at the possibility of visiting a number of foreign countries at the invitation of their heads of state, but so far only China and Russia appear interested.