‘Trump’ and ‘Kim’ Go Head-to-Head at Hanoi Hair Salon
VOA NEWS/Khanh An
WASHINGTON — At Hanoi’s Tuan Duong Hair Salon, it’s all about the haircut homage.
As Vietnam’s capital city prepares to host the second summit between North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump, salon owner Tuan Duong is offering free haircuts to customers eager to sport the distinctive hairstyle of either leader.
«The idea came out from our love of peace,» Duong told VOA’s Vietnamese Service by telephone. «The Trump-Kim second summit is about peace. I am Vietnamese, who lives right in Vietnam’s capital, where everybody loves peace. Thus, I want to contribute my very small part to the summit’s message of peace.»
Trump will meet with Kim Feb. 27-28. The leaders first met last June in Singapore, a meeting widely criticized for vague results.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the road map to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The haircuts began earlier this week and will continue through the summit’s final day.
Duong’s family fought for the North, the victors in the Vietnam War. Vietnam, which instituted reforms to liberalize its economy in 1986, is now seen as a possible economic model for North Korea, should the Kim regime decide to institute reforms.
«My family had two martyrs,» Duong said, referring to uncles killed in battle. «My father was a wounded soldier, and my grandmother was awarded Vietnam’s Heroic Mother medal. Therefore, we don’t want any wars.»
Duong now wants «to spread out the message of peace to the world» and started offering the distinctive styles on Monday.
According to Duong, most of his customers are opting for the Kim rather than the Trump, in part because the latter requires long hair, a dye job and daily styling, a comb-over that’s not popular with average guys.
Duong said his customers support his project, which has drawn international media attention since the day after it began.
«People are very excited,» Duong said.
«I feel happy with this haircut because people will think I look like the leader of North Korea,» To Gia Huy, 9, told Reuters.
Le Phuc Hai, 66, who sports the Trump, told Reuters, «I’m not afraid of this bright orange hair color because after this promotional campaign, the hair salon owner said he would return my hair to normal.»
«I like Donald Trump’s haircut,» said Hai. «It looks great, and it fits my age.»