North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, grinning broadly and waving at a crowd gathered on a cold, rainy morning, stepped off his armored train Tuesday after a long ride that started in Pyongyang and wound through China to this Vietnamese border town ahead of his second summit with President Donald Trump.

Vietnamese troops in crisp, white uniforms and black boots stood at attention to welcome Kim on a red carpet beneath large North Korean and Vietnamese flags at the Dong Dang railway station on the China-Vietnam border. A crowd gathered along the road near the station to wave North Korean flags and bouquets of flowers at the North Korean leader.

Kim, dressed in his trademark Mao suit, shook hands with Vietnamese officials before stepping into a large Mercedes limousine, which was surrounded by burly, crewcut bodyguards who ran alongside the automobile. Press reports speculate that Kim will be driven the 170 kilometers to Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, ahead of his Wednesday meeting with Trump.

It wasn't clear if Kim had visited any places in China on his trip.

Although many experts are skeptical that Kim will give up the nukes he likely sees as his best guarantee of continued rule, there was a palpable, carnival-like excitement among many in Hanoi as the final preparations were put in place for the meeting.