Asia Politics

North Korea's Kim will likely travel to Vietnam by train

Key Points
  • It could take Kim Jong Un at least two and a half days to travel the thousands of kilometers through China by train, from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to Vietnam.
  • That means he would have to set off later this week in time for his planned Feb. 25 arrival.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Vietnam is preparing for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to arrive by train for his summit with President Donald Trump in Hanoi next week, two sources with direct knowledge of security and logistics planning told Reuters on Wednesday.

It could take Kim at least two and a half days to travel the thousands of kilometers through China by train, from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to Vietnam, meaning he would have to set off later this week in time for his planned Feb. 25 arrival.

Kim's train will stop at the Vietnamese border station of Dong Dang, where he will disembark and drive 170 km (105 miles) to Hanoi by car, the sources said.

Separately, three other sources with direct knowledge of the summit preparations told Reuters the preferred location for the Feb. 27-28 meeting between Trump and Kim is the Government Guesthouse, a colonial-era government building in central Hanoi.

All five sources who spoke to Reuters said the plans were subject to change.

President Trump: Expect a summit with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam later this month
VIDEO3:1603:16
President Trump: Expect a summit with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam later this month

— Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Kim Jong Un.