Hanoi businesses are going all out for the Trump-Kim summit


President Trump has sold Trump wine and Trump steaks, and he'd likely be proud of Hanoi's business owners for taking the branding opportunity even further ahead of his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Vietnamese capital.
Al Jazeera reports that the meeting has turned into a marketing extravaganza — bars are serving Negroni-inspired cocktails called "Peace Negroniations," stores are stocked with T-shirts depicting the leaders' faces, and, because fortune favors the bold, some barbers are offering Trump and Kim-styled haircuts.
Officials are unsure of just how much the negotiations will benefit Hanoi and Vietnam as a whole in strict financial figures, but Phuong Hoa Nguyen, a deputy director at Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism, said that the talks will be "invaluable" for the country's economic future no matter what.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"This is a great opportunity to promote Vietnam as an attractive and safe destination for tourism and investment," Nguyen told Al Jazeera.
The choice of Vietnam as the host country for the talks is steeped in historical symbolism — last July, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directed comments toward Kim about how North Korea could one day follow in Vietnam's footsteps as a post-communist economy.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
June 22 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a SpaceX flight, Bibi pulling Donald Trump toward war, and an ICE agent looking like a bank robber
-
5 bunker-busting cartoons about the Israel-Iran war
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on Iran waiting for Pete Hegseth to leak war plans and Donald Trump's wish for a Nobel prize
-
Malaysia's delicious food and glorious beaches
The Week Recommends From 'colourful' George Town to the 'jungled interior' of Langkawi, Malaysia is incredibly diverse
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores