Vietnam says it has no information on any second Trump-Kim summit

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has not been informed about any time or venue of a possible second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but is confident in its ability to host such a meeting, it said on Thursday.

Hanoi is preparing to receive Kim Jong Un for a state visit, two sources told Reuters on Jan. 17, while officials and diplomats said Vietnam was keen to host a second summit between Kim and Trump.

"It is up to the United States and North Korea to decide on the location and the timing of the summit," foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told a regular news conference on Thursday.

Trump and Kim held a historic first summit in Singapore in June. The White House said last week a second summit would be held in late February but did not say where.

Vietnam has repeatedly said that it is willing to play an active part in dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

Hang said Vietnam had no information about a summit or a possible state visit by either Trump or Kim, but it would be able to accommodate them if asked.

"We are very confident in our ability to host international events in Vietnam, as we successfully held the APEC summit in 2017 and, other international events," said Hang.

Vietnam hosted the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the central city of Danang and, in September last year, the capital, Hanoi, played host to the World Economic Forum.

Both events were attended by several high-profile world leaders, and both cities have been widely touted as possible locations for a second summit between Trump and Kim.

There has also been speculation about other possible venues, including Bangkok, Hawaii, or a return to Singapore.

North Korean state media reported on Thursday that Kim had expressed satisfaction about the results of talks last week between Trump and North Korea's top nuclear negotiator, and Kim spoke highly of Trump.

Kim ordered working-level preparations for a second North Korea-U.S. summit, media said.