North Korea’s Kim to Visit Vietnam Ahead Of Summit with Trump

By Staff, Agencies

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon make an official visit to Vietnam, state media reported Saturday, as Hanoi prepares to host Kim and the United States' President Donald Trump for a summit next week.

"Kim Jong Un will pay an official visit to Vietnam in the coming days," Bao Quoc Te, the official spokesperson of Vietnam's foreign ministry, reported Saturday.

Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said late Friday that he had cancelled his trip to South Korea - intended for preparation for the upcoming summit with North Korea's notorious dictator - amid a deadly escalation in Venezuela.

Media, however, did not specify when Kim's visit would take place, but several sources told AFP Friday that he was expected to arrive late on February 25 or February 26 by train.

Kim and Trump will meet on February 27-28, the second summit between the two leaders aimed at dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

Their first summit last year produced a vaguely-worded commitment for Pyongyang to denuclearize, and observers are hoping the follow up meeting will produce concrete outcomes.