Hanoi hosts Trump-Kim summit

The Vietnamese capital hosts the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
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UNITED STATES
NORTH KOREA

Post-war Vietnam – communist with capitalist leanings – is now one of Asia’s fastest- growing economies, and close U.S. ally

Bilateral trade up from $451m to nearly $52bn from 1995 to 2016

Location of Vietnam strategically important for U.S. – currently locked in trade war with China

Vietnam and North Korea share ambivalent relations with neighbouring China

Trade down due to UN sanctions against Pyongyang, but reached $7m in 2017

Visit could give Kim chance to learn from Vietnam’s economic success story

Short flight – none over hostile territory – and efficient security in Hanoi will also boost confidence

VIETNAM
Leaders including Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (above) hope summit will boost diplomatic leverage against China, which contests waters in South China Sea claimed by Vietnam

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CHINA
Hanoi
South China Sea
JAPAN
SOUTH KOREA
PACIFIC OCEAN
VIETNAM
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Sources: AP, U.S. State Department Pictures: Getty Images
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