Kim Jong Un arrives in Vietnam for summit with Trump
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, where they will attempt to reach an agreement on a DPRK pledge to give up its nuclear weapons program.
Trump is due to arrive in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, on Tuesday evening.
Trump will meet Kim for a brief one-on-one conversation on Wednesday evening, followed by a social dinner, at which they will each be accompanied by two guests and interpreters, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Air Force One.
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She said that would be followed by more meetings between the two leaders on Thursday.
Kim, who traveled from Pyongyang, the DPRK capital, by train, arrived at the station in the Vietnamese town of Dong Dang after crossing the border from China on Tuesday morning.
Vietnamese officials were on hand to receive him at the station with a red carpet, along with a guard of honor and DPRK and Vietnamese flags.
DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un was greeted by Vietnamese officials as he arrived at the Dong Dang railway station, Vietnam, at the border with China, on February 26, 2019. /VCG Photo
Kim left the train in Dong Dang and embarked on the 170 km (105 miles) journey to the capital, Hanoi, by car.
Before setting off, Kim waved to the young people lining the street holding Vietnamese and DPRK flags.
The main road into Hanoi was closed off, with Vietnamese security forces equipped with armored-personnel carriers guarding the route.
Both Kim and Trump are also due to hold separate talks with Vietnamese leaders.
DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un waves from his car as he leaves the Dong Dang railway station en route to Hanoi, on February 26, 2019. /VCG Photo
The second summit between Trump and Kim come eight months after their historic summit in Singapore, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK leader.
While there is no real expectation that the second meeting will result in a final deal regarding the complete denuclearization of the DPRK, there are hopes it could lead to a declaration that the 1950-53 Korean War is at last formally over.
But the United States would expect concrete steps toward denuclearization from Kim in return.
A Vietnamese policewoman stands guard as people gather around a street in Hanoi for the arrival of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, on February 26, 2019. /VCG Photo
In Singapore, Kim pledged to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but the vague agreement struck there has produced few concrete results.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also arrived in Hanoi, on Tuesday, a reporter traveling with him said.
Pompeo will later meet with U.S. Special Representative for DPRK Stephen Biegun in Hanoi.