To be clear, I'm not making accusations about Vietnam, I was just thinking about it and found it a little strange.
I can think of some fairly plausible reasons, but just because those reasons are plausible doesn't mean they're actually correct, so I was wondering if anybody had a more concrete historical and materialist understanding of the situation.
realpolitik due to tensions with China, is my understanding
Probably has a lot to do with it. As I understand it, the DPRK also isn't super duper China-friendly, despite Western propaganda depicting them as being best of friends or even the DPRK basically being China's puppet. I wonder if the DPRK's increased relations with Russia will create a similar but different sense of realpolitik balancing between two powers?
No, that's just Western cope, especially Yank cope that thinks Vietnam would be friendly to a country that poisoned their population with Agent Orange. The CPC and CPV are super friendly with each.
None of this speaks of any open animosity Vietnam has with China:
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnamese-chinese-officials-talk-territorial-border-issues/271101.vnp
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnamese-chinese-border-guards-join-hands-in-building-border-of-peace-stability/274524.vnp
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/trade-cooperation-bright-spot-in-vietnamchina-relations/274675.vnp
yeah... look up the history of sino-vietnamese relations in the 70s and 80s
it's better now, it was real bad before
The Western cope is thinking Sino-Vietnamese relations is the same in the 2020s as it was during the 70s.
I don't think anybody thinks that, certainly not here?
The OP's question was "why does Vietnam have a relationship with the USA and the DPRK doesn't" and the history of tensions with China is the reason for the faster-than-expected renormalization of relations
The Sino-Soviet Split and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race
heh, no.
China supported the Khmer Rouge, which also invaded Vietnam, that's why Kissinger thought they could be such chums.
The Vietnam War didn't end in 1973 ; China continued to support groups fighting against the Vietnamese govt for another 20 years after that.
There wasn't a final truce between Vietnam and China until 1993.