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| A T-shirt with images of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is displayed at a tourist area in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 25. AP-Yonhap |
By Kim Yoo-chul, Lee Min-hyung
HANOI _ All eyes are on what will take place in the Vietnamese capital this week as the leaders of North Korea and the United States are coming here for another summit.
More than 2,600 foreign journalists have entered Vietnam to cover the historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
After months of confrontation and diplomatic ups and downs, as well as rhetorical escalation, this week's summit is expected to produce "substantial results," unlike their first meeting in Singapore last year that only produced a vaguely worded commitment from North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Not surprisingly, with just two days to go before the crucial second meeting between them, security checks rose to the "highest level" along major streets from Noi Bai Airport, the primary entrance to the Vietnamese capital, and at five-star hotels in downtown Hanoi, as well as the international media center at the historic Cultural Friendship Palace.
Security cameras have been installed all along the street. JW M0arriott Hotel and Melia Hotel, where Trump and Kim are expected to stay during their summit, respectively, were designated as "security zones," meaning live broadcasts by the media will be banned until the summit ends.
Despite the continued thorough security checks in and around all summit venues as officials here are scrambling to put the finishing touches in place for the summit, the Vietnamese people and international media outlets seem to be welcoming the upcoming meeting.
The national flags of Vietnam, the United States and North Korea line the main streets in downtown Hanoi in preparation for the meeting. Hotels near the venues predicted to host the upcoming summit are "fully booked."
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| A woman and a boy pose for a selfie at West Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 25. AP-Yonhap |
While views and expectations about the outcome of the Kim-Trump meeting are split, a festive mood and excitement among Vietnamese people here in Hanoi is capturing attention.
"I do think the summit will be very successful. The two leaders seem to build a better and better relationship," Le Cao Luc from Vietnam's local media Bao Nguoi Lao Dong, told The Korea Times, adding Vietnamese people are now in a festive mood for the upcoming event.
"This is the first time in the country that such a huge number of reporters have visited for a single two-day-long event."
Another journalist, who asked not to be named, added the summit will be meaningful as it aims to bring peace.
"The leaders of the two countries will hold a meeting with a view to fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula," said an official at the International Media Center. "In this regard, the meeting in itself is meaningful and this will bring positive effects in raising the awareness of peace across the world."
With journalists from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China and the United States, South Korean and Japanese media are known to have proposed the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs extend a visa waiver to their staff in case the summit continues for longer than expected.
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| Vietnamese police leave their headquarters to patrol ahead of the upcoming North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 25. Reuters-Yonhap |
At barber shops located in the main streets of Hanoi, there are calls by customers who want to get hairstyles similar to that of Trump or Kim.
Kim Young-pil, front office manager at Grand Plaza Hotel, said some barbershops are providing free haircuts in the styles of Trump and Kim until the summit ends. Small shop owners have been busy selling images of Trump and Kim on T-shirts.
And bars and restaurants are selling "special alcoholic drinks" named after Trump and Kim to mark the event, according to the manager.
A local tourism industry official said Hanoi will be able to attract more tourists following the summit.
"The summit will not have a direct effect on driving up the number of tourists there, but it is likely that the post-summit word-of-mouth effect will bring a positive influence on the tourism industry in the Vietnamese capital city," the official said.
