The AFP article wrote that when Lee Parry heard that DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump would meet in Hanoi, he knew he wanted to be part of the action and soon booked a trip.
He joined the 'Trump-Kim Vietnam Summit Tour' being put on this week by a travel company whose slogan offers "destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from" – including the DPRK.
The trip to the Vietnamese capital is not exactly a daring one, but a chance for visitors to be part of the flurry surrounding Trump and Kim's second meeting this week.
"It's a lot better than seeing it on Twitter or Facebook," said Parry, 36, a British student living in China. “To be at the forefront of that and to get to see it in the flesh was too good to pass up."
On the agenda are several well-trodden stops on the Hanoi tourist trail: The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the war museum and the former "Hanoi Hilton" jail where American prisoners of war including late senator John McCain were held during the war in Vietnam.
In addition, there are some summit-related sites such as Melia Hanoi Hotel, where Kim is expected to stay.
The AFP also quoted Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) Director Gareth Johnson as saying that if the meeting ends up being successful, if it ends up being a good summit, we will witness history in the making.
Hanoi had only 10 days to prepare for the DPRK-USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam, as compared to 2 months for the first meeting in Singapore, but local authorities vowed the best security conditions for the important event.
The capital's streets were lined with armed soldiers and military vehicles -- highly unusual for a foreign leader's visit to Vietnam.
The city has been swarming with press in recent days with some 2,600 journalists registered to cover the summit slated for February 27-28.
The summit is expected to focus on discussing Pyongyang’s concrete denuclearisation steps and corresponding measures the DPRK wants the US to take such as loosening sanctions and improving relations.
VNA/VNP
