President Trump and Chairman Kim met at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi,… a luxury hotel in the heart of Vietnam's capital to kick start their second summit.
Our Won Jung-hwan zooms in to the hotel and explains more about the significance it holds.
The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, a historic landmark in Hanoi that dates back to the turn of the 20th century is once again the background for history to be written.
The French colonial-era hotel, which was once used by the former North Vietnamese government to house foreign guests during the Vietnam War,… opened its doors for another historic event to take place, the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The hotel served as the backdrop for the two leaders to set the tone through a one-on-one conversation and a social dinner.
The Metropole Hotel is no stranger to milestone moments that changed the course of history. In 1997, former U.S. Defense Secretary ( ) Robert McNamara sat down with former Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach at the hotel to reflect on whether the Vietnam War could have been avoided.
Although the two couldn't reach a complete reconciliation during that meeting,… the world remembers that the once war adversaries saw past their differences and sat down, across the halls and walls of the Metropole, to contemplate a brighter and peaceful future together.
Vietnam has been widely touted as the model to follow by North Korea in terms of economic development. We certainly can't foretell what the future has in store, but a brighter and peaceful future is in the works, for Pyeongyang, Washington and the Korean Peninsula, and like before, it is starting at the Metropole.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.