Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh has started a three-day visit to North Korea ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi later this month.
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: Reuters
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The visit takes place nearly a week after US President Trump said he will hold the second summit with Kim in the Vietnamese capital on February 27-28.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this month expressed willingness and readiness to host the meeting, as a demonstration of its support for the peace process in the Korean Peninsula.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 11 asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related agencies to make good preparations for the meeting.
In an official visit to Vietnam last November, Minister Ri Yong-ho was welcomed by his counterpart Pham Binh Minh, who said that Hanoi highly appreciated positive movements on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed Vietnam’s firm stance on peace, stability, and cooperation in the region.
During that meeting, Vietnam's top diplomat also said that Hanoi is willing to cooperate with Pyongyang in different fields which are suitable with each country’s interests and in line with the international laws. He attached the importance to the willingness of sharing socio-economic experiences.
Ahead of the summit, Vietnam’s reform model has been widely touted as the economic path for impoverished and isolated North Korea to follow.
The summit follows an unprecedented first meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore last June.
