Before meeting Kim, Trump oversees big Vietnamese plane deal
President Donald Trump and Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong watch as VietJet President Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, right, and Kevin McAllister, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, left, sign a business agreement at the Presidential Palace, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, in Hanoi. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
HANOI, Vietnam — President Donald Trump and Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong have presided over the signing of several trade deals in Hanoi, including agreements to sell 110 Boeing planes worth billions of dollars to the booming Southeast Asian country.
The deals inked Wednesday give Trump a win ahead of meetings expected for later in the day with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Vietnamese capital. The talks follow an initial summit in Singapore last year.
Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. is selling 100 737 MAX planes to Vietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet. Boeing sealed a second sale to Bamboo Airways of 10 787 Dreamliners as the two leaders looked on.
Boeing and Vietjet said their deal was valued at $12.7 billion at list prices. Airlines typically negotiate discounts for bulk orders. / gsg
