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The second Trump-Kim summit will boost North Korea. Could it gain even more from Vietnam?
- Hanoi is moving to position itself as a partner of choice should Pyongyang play a bigger role in the international community
- The two communist-ruled states were firm allies in the past, and a visit from Vietnam’s foreign minister is seen as a renewal to that commitment
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As Vietnam prepares to host the second summit between Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump, it has leapt into action to return ties with its old ally, North Korea, to their former lustre – and to position itself as a partner of choice should Pyongyang play a bigger role in the international community.
Vietnam’s foreign minister Pham Binh Minh arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to discuss details of the February 27-28 summit in Hanoi amid growing speculation that the North Korean leader will make a pre-summit state visit to the Southeast Asian country.
North Korea is a friend that had helped Vietnam a lot in the past
The foreign minister’s visit is seen as evidence of a renewed commitment to relations with Pyongyang, and as a sign Hanoi’s economic and diplomatic progress are internationally recognised and can serve as a road map for the hermit kingdom.
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Pham, who doubles as deputy prime minister, boarded a flight with North Korea’s national carrier, Air Koryo, from Beijing accompanied by five government officials and Vietnamese journalists, South Korea’s Yonhap News reported.
“North Korea is a friend that had helped Vietnam a lot in the past,” said Nguyen Vinh Quang, formerly Hanoi’s top diplomat for China and Northeast Asia.
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