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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Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are set to meet in Hanoi on February 27. Photo: EPA

Published: 8:03pm, 12 Feb 2019Updated: 10:48pm, 12 Feb 2019

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

Former diplomat Nguyen Vinh Quang

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.

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.