Why Vietnam is “more promising” than Thailand to host the US-North Korea summit

President Donald Trump meets leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in 2018. Photo: Reuters

Bangkok, Hanoi and Hawaii were among the possible locations that were suggested when the US and North Korea agreed to hold a second summit. Ultimately, President Donald Trump later announced that his meeting with leader Kim Jong-un would take place in Hanoi on February 27-28.

According to veteran journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn of the Bangkok Post, Thailand initially had a great opportunity. As the current chair of ASEAN, Thailand was considered the best place to hold the US-North Korea summit, similar to Singapore last year when it took over the ASEAN chair and hosted the first Trump-Kim meeting.

However, after a practical survey of both infrastructure and socio-political conditions in the capitals of the two countries, Hanoi emerged as the preferred location. Hawaii was eliminated due to distance issues. In addition, holding the summit in a place on US territory was also not suitable because at the time of the summit, the US and North Korea had not yet officially normalized relations.

According to journalist Kavi, Thailand and Vietnam have many similarities.

FirstAs members of ASEAN, both are active in regional and international communities. Vietnam will be the next chair of ASEAN after Thailand.

Most importantly, Vietnam will run for a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2021. Meanwhile, Thailand is also running to become a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for the 2020-2022 term.

Monday, both Thailand and Vietnam have good relations with all parties involved in the Korean peninsula, including the US, China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea. North Korea has embassies in Hanoi and Bangkok.

Tuesday, Thailand and Vietnam are in the same time zone and the flight distance from Pyongyang to the two countries is almost the same, taking just over 3 hours. Hanoi is a little closer than Bangkok.

Wednesday, both countries' capitals have good infrastructure and are great places to relax. In addition, both have the diplomatic experience to host high-level meetings.

The deciding factor

However, journalist Kavi pointed out three decisive factors that helped Vietnam win over Thailand in the race for the right to host the US-North Korea summit: Thailand's level of political instability, air pollution in Bangkok, and Vietnam's successful economic model.

The Thai government has announced that elections will be held on March 24, a move that is expected to reduce the threat of street protests in the country. However, many people are still worried that the Thai government will continue to postpone the elections and that the wave of protests may resume. According to journalist Kavi, compared to Bangkok, Hanoi has fewer security problems.

Protesters in Bangkok. Photo: Reuters.

In addition, the dangerous levels of fine dust particles in Bangkok's air in recent weeks have also damaged the Thai capital's image as a foreign-friendly city. The US and North Korean leaders are not used to such air quality and no one wants to see them wearing masks if they meet in Thailand.

“When Mr. Trump said that North Korea would transform itself into a fast-growing economy, the most suitable country in the region for North Korea to learn from in its future development process is certainly Vietnam. After 4 decades since the start of the economic reform program called Doi Moi, Vietnam has transformed itself from a country devastated by war to a leading trading partner in Southeast Asia,” said journalist Kavi.

According to Thai media, since joining ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam’s transformation has been even more rapid and astonishing. Vietnam is now one of the economic powerhouses in the region. Therefore, Mr. Trump certainly wants Vietnam’s modernization and progress, with its stable political system, to be a model for North Korea to follow.

In addition, Vietnam is also a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a leading free trade agreement in the world. It would not be surprising if Mr. Trump wanted to make his personal mark on Vietnam, thereby proving that countries maintaining friendship and cooperation with the US will bring good results.

Historical barriers

According to journalist Kavi, although Thailand-North Korea relations remain warm, there are still obstacles. The Thai military once participated in an international peacekeeping force of 16 countries and confronted Pyongyang during the Korean War (1950-1953).

Four years after the war, North Korea has asked Thailand to remove its flag from the Peace Village in Panmunjom. However, Thailand has said it will do so only when a peace treaty is signed to replace the current armistice agreement on the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, Vietnam and North Korea established diplomatic relations in 1950. The two countries have also helped each other through many ups and downs in history. Ten years ago, when North Korea's relations with China were not as good as they are today, along with US sanctions, Vietnamese coastal cities such as Hai Phong were used as ports for trade with North Korea.

With the timely convergence of geopolitical factors, Vietnam, North Korea and the US are all aware of the importance of the Trump-Kim summit as well as the impacts of this event, especially when Washington and Pyongyang have overcome diplomatic barriers to conduct the meeting, according to journalist Kavi.

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