William Newell, an American who has spent 23 years living in Hanoi: Hope for a success that benefits the people:

“I think it is fantastic that Hanoi has an opportunity to showcase the capital city for a summit that is enjoying so much international attention. This is a unique event for Vietnam to step up on the world stage in front of leading international press organizations, and it seems that the city is taking full advantage of making a positive impression by rolling out the red carpet."

According to Newell, being selected to host the US-DPRK Summit is good fortune for Vietnam, after recent achievements the country has reaped recently, in world's beauty pageants (top 5 Miss Universe) and regional football tournaments (AFF Cup 2019 Champion).

Regarding his expectation of the Summit's result, Newell emphasizes that since building trust takes time, he is not sure about any significant breakthrough which can be brought about. Nonetheless, he still hopes "that the world is able to set North Korea on a path that brings the country back into good standing with the international community, and that the North Korean people can enjoy the success of the Summit."

Steve Groff, free-lancer copywritter and English editor: Hope that all countries involved will be satisfied with the result

“I was in the pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem Lake over the weekend and it was nice to see all the flags, flowers and billboards that were put up to celebrate the US-DPRK Summit. While I do not really have a detailed idea about what the result of the summit might be, simply holding the summit is a limited measure of success in itself. I am happy that my adopted city of Hanoi has been chosen to host this event, and I hope the summit will be a success and that all countries involved will be satisfied with the results.”