Jong-un may travel by land to Hanoi

HANOI: A visit by a North Korean delegation to a Vietnamese city on a popular train route from China has sparked speculation that Kim Jong-un could travel by rail — or road — for his summit with United States President Donald Trump.

The US and North Korea have despatched teams to Vietnam ahead of the summit here on Feb 27 and 28, though officials have remained tight-lipped on their movements and meetings.

Yesterday, a Vietnamese source with knowledge of planning for high-level diplomatic meetings said several North Korean officials had visited the China border area on Monday.

“A team from North Korea was in Lang Son (city) on Monday. They travelled there from Hanoi by car,” the source said.

Japan’s Asahi TV said a North Korean team visited a rail station in a city near the China border and surveyed road conditions.

There is no airport in Lang Son city, prompting speculation that Jong-un may make the long, overland train or road journey from China to Vietnam. The nearly 4,000km journey from Pyongyang to Hanoi, via Beijing and Lang Son, could take up to 60 hours on train.

But according to a source cited by Seoul-based NK News website, a rail trip could create “too many problems on the way”, since Jongun’s slow train could disrupt China’s high-speed rail network.

Another option for Jong-un’s trip could be to travel by rail to Beijing, a trip he has made several times, and then fly to Hanoi.