HANOI — Seven neighbours residing in the countryside about 70km away from Hanoi were so fascinated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in part because he is “kind of handsome”, they travelled to the city by taxi to try and see him in the flesh.

Clutching flags of North Korea and the United States, they stood under a slight drizzle in the 15°C weather, waiting.

That was about 8am on Tuesday (Feb 26) outside Hanoi’s Melia hotel. They had no idea when he would arrive.

At about 11am, Mr Kim’s convoy finally rolled in.

Miss Bai Thi Hanh, 35, a freelance worker from the provincial town of Son Tay, was exhilarated when she caught sight of Mr Kim’s bodyguards jogging alongside his Mercedes S600 Pullman Guard.

To the group’s disappointment, however, he did not wind down the bulletproof window to his car to wave at the crowd.

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That did not matter to most of the spectators though.

Miss Hanh’s neighbour, high school teacher Nguyen Thi Hoa, said: “The people around me were really excited, waving flags really hard to welcome Mr Kim to the city of peace… I was waving as well.”

The Vietnamese capital has proclaimed itself as the “city of peace” for the two-day summit on Feb 27 and 28 between US president Donald Trump and Mr Kim — the second one since they met in Singapore last June.

Despite failing to see Mr Kim in person, hairdresser Bui Thi Hien, 36, who was part of the group of seven neighbours, had no regrets turning up for the occasion.

“Mr Kim has a positive vibe. He is… also kind of handsome. And I wish that the leaders will have a good (meeting) in Hanoi,” she told TODAY.

Street vendor Nguyen Thein Ting, 57, also fawned over Mr Kim, commenting that he is a “good looking” man with only one downside — he is “slightly overweight”.

Now that he is in Hanoi, he should eat more vegetables such as boiled water spinach, which is cheap, accessible and good, she said. “They will help with his weight management.”

To reach Vietnam, Mr Kim travelled from Pyongyang through China by train. Touching down at the Vietnamese border town of Dong Dang, he then made his way to Hanoi after a 170km road journey.

At Dong Dang, the authorities pulled out all the stops to impress Mr Kim, including getting a teenage model Nguyen Thu Uyen, 19, to present him with a bouquet of flowers. She was chosen just a day before.

GOING ON A HOPE

As spectators lined the streets on Tuesday morning, children at a built-in-1978, North Korean-funded pre-school, the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Kindergarten, were busy making handmade card gifts — just in case Mr Kim decided to stop by for a visit.

Asked how sure she was of Mr Kim’s visit, the school’s Vietnamese principal, Ms Ngo Thi Minh Ha, 54, said: “It is very possible that Mr Kim will pay us a visit. I am hopeful that he will.” She did not give more details.

Other than the cards, the kindergarten recently bought 100 new Korean traditional hanbok dresses for the children to prepare for a performance should Mr Kim show up.

In the lead-up to the summit, officials from North Korea and the US have been tight-lipped about what the two leaders might discuss or what deals may be inked.

In their first historic meeting last June, Mr Kim pledged to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, though not much headway have been made since.

In Hanoi, the expectation is that more specific agreements may be made, including a treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.

On Tuesday afternoon, after the crowds have dispersed, curious commuters travelling on scooters along the roads leading to Melia hotel still could not resist stopping in front of an empty barricaded area, craning their necks in futile efforts to catch any glimpse of Mr Kim.

Among them was Mr Dao Manh Tien, a retiree who travelled from Chuong Duong bridge a kilometre away. At the bridge, thousands had gathered earlier to wave at Mr Kim’s passing convoy. “I got a glimpse of the cars,” the 69-year-old said.

“I think the summit in Singapore was already a big success, but I think this one is going to be even more successful,” he added.

Mr Tien was with the Vietnamese air force in 1970 and had fought against the American forces. He believes that Mr Kim is different from his predecessors. “I think he wants to create peace and denuclearise, opening a new path of peace for the (Korean) peninsula.”

Asked for his opinion of Mr Trump, Mr Tien said that he has nothing against the American president and admires his style.

Another war veteran, a 70-year-old man who did not want to be named, said that he had fought two wars against the Americans and the Chinese, and he is not star-struck by Mr Kim. “I don’t like him. All three generations of the family, no. I don’t care about the regime.

“I just hate war in general. Whatever it is, as long as it is benefitting the country, fine. Fighting? Bad. Peace? Good.”