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Trump-Kim summit 2019: Hanoi puts its best food forward for culinary diplomacy
- Journalists from around the world are in the Vietnamese capital to watch the US and North Korean leaders break bread and tackle denuclearisation, as the city serves up culinary specials to highlight its tourism potential
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Pham Thi Anh Tuyet hopes to become the first Vietnamese chef to serve North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un in her own restaurant in Hanoi, on the sidelines of his second summit with United States President Donald Trump.
The celebrated chef, who runs her namesake eatery Anh Tuyet Restaurant in the city’s old quarter, has had no indication of whether Kim might visit – she is among the other hopefuls who have made preparations for potential VIP guests as talks take place in the capital this week.
“The chance to meet Kim would make me proud,” Tuyet told the South China Morning Post from the cosy, rustic dining room of her Hanoi eatery, which serves traditional dishes such as fried crab spring rolls. “The summit is a source of excitement for Hanoi and Vietnam.”
Tuyet, 71, has carved out a reputation for catering to world leaders on their trips to her country. She was the head chef for the state lunch during the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) economic leaders’ meeting in Da Nang, which was attended by Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, among others.
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