HÀ NỘI — Preparations for the upcoming second summit between the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are on schedule, earning appreciation from the two countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung told the press on Thursday. 

The Deputy FM stressed that Việt Nam had just 20 days to prepare for the event after US President Donald Trump announced Hà Nội as the meeting venue.

He noted that for the first US-DPRK Summit last year, host Singapore had nearly two months for preparations. Trung said that high-ranking Vietnamese leaders have paid great attention to the preparation work, adding that Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc himself has given instructions and inspected the work.

There has been close coordination between relevant ministries, agencies and localities. According to the official, Việt Nam has discussed with both countries details related to security and protocol matters.

Việt Nam has prepared infrastructure for the media centre and created good conditions for foreign reporters to cover the event, he said. 

Deputy FM Trung said as the US-DPRK Summit is an event under international focus, hosting the event is a tremendous boost for Việt Nam in many ways.

He said it is an occasion to demonstrate the country’s proactive responsibility for the international community as well as its wish to make contributions to regional and global peace. 

He said in the past, the 1954 Geneva accord on ending war and restoring peace in the Indochina peninsula was signed in Switzerland, but this time an important peace summit takes place in Hà Nội, the capital city of Việt Nam, on the occasion of 20 years since it received the City for Peace title from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). 

The Deputy FM stressed it is a remarkable change, showing Việt Nam’s position and capacity in many fields. By hosting this summit, Việt Nam meets the expectations of the international community and the two involved countries, that Việt Nam is a safe country with good security, considerable experience during the development process, and friendly ties with neighbouring countries and the international community.

Furthermore, the summit provides a good opportunity for Việt Nam to popularise its people and socio-economic development, he added.

According to the Deputy FM, as of now, some 2,600 foreign journalists have registered to come to Việt Nam to report on the event, and they will help introduce Việt Nam’s achievements to the world. — VNS