Vietnam, host country with shades from control to reform

U.S. President Donald Trump meets Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday. Reuters-Yonhap

By Kim Ji-soo

With the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea in place in Hanoi, the host country has shown a big hearty welcome with a jolt of pride alongside a high level of security.

Young North Korean leader Kim Jong-un received a lot of attention when he arrived in Hanoi, Tuesday. When he left his hotel in the afternoon to visit officials at the North Korean Embassy, the crowd outside cheered. Children at a kindergarten, founded in 1978 with assistance from the North, were seen with North Korean flags painted on their cheeks to welcome the leader. On Wednesday morning, Kim stayed in the hotel while senior officials visited the tourist destination Ha Long Bay, and the major industrial city of HaiPhong.

U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Tuesday. AFP-Yonhap

Kim Jong-un takes Vietnam as case study 2019-02-27 17:17  |  Politics
Trump arrived late Tuesday on Air Force One, and his motorcade was greeted by streets decorated with American, North Korean and Vietnamese flags, and people crowding in windows to capture his arrival on cellphones.

Students from Nguyen Du secondary school wave the U.S. and Vietnamese flags in Hanoi, Wednesday. Reuters-Yonhap

U.S. security personnel outside the Presidential Palace scan the crowd Wednesday. AP-Yonhap

"Tremendous crowds, and so much love!" the U.S. president tweeted.

In many respects, the host country is a safe ground where North Korea could claim its desire to emulate the "Doi Moi" style economic reforms and further strengthen a relationship forged when Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, visited twice some 50 years ago.

For the United States, Vietnam is also an illustration of how much a communist nation can achieve through normal ties with the world's superpower. Vietnam's economy is regarded to have taken off in earnest with its normalization of ties with the United States in 1995.

Trump iterated in his Wednesday meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong that Vietnam is a good example for North Korea to follow in developing its economy.

Vietnamese policemen sit on stools near the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Wednesday. APF-Yonhap