HÀ NỘI  — United States President Donald Trump and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Chairman Kim Jong Un met for the second time on Wednesday in Hà Nội, with Trump promising a prosperous future for North Korea.

The second DPRK-USA summit started Wednesday evening with a one-on-one meeting between the two leaders at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel.

The two leaders shook hands, then sat down briefly to give remarks ahead of dinner.

Chairman Kim Jong Un, through a translator, said they had been able to overcome all the obstacles and “here we are today. But he also emphasised the need for patience.

US President Trump said it was an honour to be with Chairman Kim in Hà Nội: “It’s an honour to be with Chairman Kim, it’s an honour to be together in a country ,Vietnam, where they have rolled out the red carpet and they are very honoured to have us.”

He said he was very pleased with the first summit.

"Some people would like to see it go quicker, but I was very happy with how we are doing," Trump said. “We’ve made a lot of progress, the biggest progress is that our relationship is really a good one.”

The US president said he hoped the second summit would be “equal or greater”, while saying he had high hopes for the DPRK’s economic success.

"I think you will have a tremendous future for your country, you’re a great leader," President Trump told Chairman Kim. "And I look forward to watching it happen and helping it to happen."

When asked by reporters at the meeting if he had walked back his vow to achieve denuclearisation the Korean Peninsula, Trump replied "No."

The two then sat down for dinner, joined by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Chairman’s Kim top envoy, Kim Yong Chol, and DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho.

US President Donald Trump right) and North Korean chairman Kim Jong Un together had informal dinner on Wednesday in their first met at the second DPRK-USA summit in Hà Nội. — AFP/VNA Photo

On Thursday, the two leaders will hold a series of meetings, according to the White House.

Prior to this meeting with Chairman Kim, President Trump said he was not pushing for a quick denuclearisation deal.

“I’m not in a rush, I don’t want to rush anybody,” Trump said on Sunday at the White House.

“I just don’t want testing. As long as there’s no testing, we’re happy.”

Menu served at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel for the two leaders on Wednesday evening. Source: CNN Reporter Kevin Liptap

In a Wednesday tweet, he said: “Kim Jong Un and I will try very hard to work something out on Denuclearization & then making North Korea an Economic Powerhouse.”

At their first summit in Singapore last June, Trump and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearisation and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. However, it was unclear how the dismantling of the DPRK’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles would take place.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China hoped the summit would be successful, according to Xinhua.

"All parties in the world, including China, hope the DPRK and the US will continue to make more substantial progress on denuclearisation and peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, based on what they have achieved," Lu Kang told Xinhua.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, meanwhile, was reported by KBS News as saying that if the DPRK-US summit in Việt Nam goes successfully, it will eliminate the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula and lay a foundation for an era of peace and prosperity. — VNS