Vietnam launches round

North Korean and US officials landed in Hanoi on Saturday as all three countries prepare for the upcoming summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, Vietnamese state media reported.

The two delegations are expected to organize logistical coordination for the summit, the VnExpress news site reported.

Hanoi police also said they would dispatch 96 patrol groups to crack down on crime in the 10 days preceding the summit. City landmarks will also be put on round-the-clock police surveillance.

Security for the summit is expected to be tight. While the risk of terrorism is considered extremely low in Vietnam, the capital's density makes the city harder for bodyguards on both the Korean and US teams to secure their bosses.

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Trump and Kim previously met in Singapore in June 2018 following a heated exchange of words, with both threatening war between their nuclear armed states.

Even though Trump has portrayed the first meeting as resolving conflict over the North Korean nuclear program, Pyongyang has done little to denuclearize the peninsula and US intelligence officials say the country is unlikely to totally disarm.

But as the second summit looms, Vietnam, a former wartime foe of the US, has offered to mediate discussions between Pyongyang and Washington, urging both sides to show restraint.

Speaking in Hanoi in July 2018, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he wished for North Korea to "replicate" Vietnam's economic development and reconciliation with the US. (dpa)