What to watch during the Trump-Kim Vietnam summit

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un won’t be able to replicate the historic nature of their first summit as they meet here in the Vietnamese capital on Wednesday.But their second summit will serve as a real test of whether the two men are indeed converting the optimism of their first meeting into a credible diplomatic endeavor capable of bringing about the long-sought denuclearization of North Korea.

That remained in question as Trump arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday to meet with Kim for a summit that is kicking off amid high stakes and low expectations. After months of high-level diplomacy, US officials have made clear that they do not yet know if North Korea is prepared to give up its nuclear weapons.

Trump has consistentlyemphasized the importance of the personal relationship he has forged with Kim throughout his diplomatic engagement with North Korea.He has referred to their written correspondence as “love letters” and praised Kim as “smart” and “tough.” And during their last summit, the two men played to the cameras with broad smiles, laughter and mutual pats on the back.

With another eight months of trust-building between the two countries and still more “love letters” exchanged, the personal chemistry between the two men is sure to take center stage once again — and expert observers will be analyzing every piece of body language.

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