Trump says North Korea will thrive like Vietnam if it denuclearises

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Noi Bai Airport for the US-DPRK summit in Hanoi, Vietnam February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kham/Pool

HANOI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that North Korea will thrive as Vietnam has done if it denuclearises, as he prepares to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi for their second summit.

"Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth. North Korea would be the same, and very quickly, if it would denuclearize," Trump said in a Tweet. "The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity, like almost none other in history, for my friend Kim Jong Un."

(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Edmund Klamann)