US President and Vietnamese Government leader lunch together in Hanoi

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met US President Donald Trump in Hanoi on Feb. 27. The US leader is in Hanoi for the DPRK-USA summit.

US President Donald Trump was welcomed by Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Government Office where the two leaders had lunch together on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi on February 27.

The Vietnamese Government leader warmly welcomed the US leader’s visit to Vietnam for the second DPRK-USA summit and bilateral activities with Vietnam.

For his part, President Trump expressed joy to return to Vietnam and meet PM Phuc again, adding that he noticed many changes in Vietnam since arriving on February 26.

He noted the hope that his second meeting with the DPRK leader in Hanoi will be a success, and lauded the Vietnam’s preparations for the event.

This is the second visit of the US President to Vietnam. In November 2017, he made an official visit to the Southeast Asian country and attended the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Da Nang.

The day before, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Hanoi.

The two sides agreed to prioritise the promotion of delegation exchanges, especially at high level in 2019, heading to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2019.

They concurred to continue considering economic and investment partnership as a driving force of the Vietnam-US relationship, while further fostering collaboration in education-training, and people-to-people exchange.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on February 26, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that the fact that Vietnam has been chosen for the second DPRK-USA summit reflects the rising role and prestige of Vietnam in the region and the world.