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Who says there’s no agreement in Hanoi? Trump and Kim made little progress at the summit, but locals are delighted
- The summit between the US and North Korean leaders ended in disarray, but locals agree they want the tidy streets and new-found sense of order to stay
- Even though the excitement might fade, the events of the past week will live long in their memories – and potential tourists heading to Vietnam
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“I wish the roads were this clean every day,” said taxi driver Vu Ngoc Anh on the way from Hanoi’s airport into the city, taking the same route that United States President Donald Trump took upon his arrival on Tuesday.
Vu had hoped for peace and a successful summit, but he said he didn’t like reading up too much into world politics. “There’s no point,” he said, implying he was more concerned about bread-and-butter issues.
It’s a common viewpoint in Vietnam’s capital. Though Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without an agreement, Hanoi residents speaking to the Post agree that they enjoyed the excitement – but once the buzz dies down, they hope the city’s new-found order will remain.
On the streets, workers trimmed trees, planted new ones and filled up potholes before the summit, while members of the local Civil Defence Force drove around reminding residents to keep the pavement in front of their houses free of trash and illegally parked motorcycles.
But that’s not all. As the eyes of the world have turned to Hanoi, Vietnam has seized the opportunity to promote itself as a tourist destination, in the hopes it will provide a boost to its economy – one that Kim has reportedly said he is looking to emulate.
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