The Atlantic

The Trump Administration Wants North Korea to Be the Next Vietnam

When Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un meet in Vietnam later this month, the U.S. hopes the North Korean leader will see what might await his country if he decides to denuclearize.
Source: Athit Perawongmetha / AFP / Getty

Updated at 7:20 a.m.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam—When Kim Jong Un arrives in Vietnam this month for his second face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, the North Korean dictator will have a hard time ignoring the myriad signs of American culture and development.

For Trump and his team, that is exactly the point.

Crowds of young Vietnamese have flocked to cinemas to see Aquaman, the latest Hollywood superhero blockbuster. Apple’s iPhones are a status symbol for the growing middle class, and Facebook is widely used. American pop music such as Ariana Grande’s new single, “7 Rings,” fills coffee shops nationwide.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic7 min readAmerican Government
The Americans Who Need Chaos
This is Work in Progress, a newsletter about work, technology, and how to solve some of America’s biggest problems. Sign up here. Several years ago, the political scientist Michael Bang Petersen, who is based in Denmark, wanted to understand why peop
The Atlantic6 min read
Florida’s Experiment With Measles
The state of Florida is trying out a new approach to measles control: No one will be forced to not get sick. Joseph Ladapo, the state’s top health official, announced this week that the six cases of the disease reported among students at an elementar
The Atlantic7 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
I Went To A Rave With The 46-Year-Old Millionaire Who Claims To Have The Body Of A Teenager
The first few steps on the path toward living forever alongside the longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson are straightforward: “Go to bed on time, eat healthy food, and exercise,” he told a crowd in Brooklyn on Saturday morning. “But to start, you guys

Related Books & Audiobooks