US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un have failed to reach an agreement at their second summit in Vietnam, but talks between the two nations will continue in the future.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says the two leaders discussed denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. "No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future," she added.
Still, Sanders is describing the meetings between Trump and Kim as "very good and constructive."
Trump and Kim departed the hotel where they've been holding summit negotiations far earlier than planned Thursday.
A joint agreement signing ceremony was scrapped.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cut short their summit schedule during a second day of talks in Vietnam.
Both Trump and Kim had earlier expressed hope for progress on improving relations and on the key issue of denuclearisation, in their talks in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.
But in a change of schedule, the White House said Trump's media conference planned for after the summit was moved forward by almost two hours to 2.00 pm (0600 AEDT).
Trump had been scheduled to hold a "joint agreement signing ceremony" with Kim at that time, at the conclusion of their summit talks, according to an earlier White House announcement.
News of the change in schedule sent South Korea's stock market and currency lower.
Earlier Kim and Trump, seated across from each other at a conference table, appeared confident of progress.
"If I'm not willing to do that, I won't be here right now," Kim told reporters through an interpreter, when asked if he was ready to give up his nuclear weapons.
Trump, responding to that, said: "That might be the best answer you've ever heard."
Kim did not elaborate on what "denuclearisation" would entail, but asked if he was ready to take concrete steps, Kim said they had just been talking about that.
"Hope you give us more time to talk. Even a minute is precious," he told reporters.
While the United States is demanding North Korea give up all of its nuclear and missile programmes, the North wants to see the removal of a US nuclear umbrella for its Asian allies such as South Korea and Japan.
Kicking off the second day of talks at the French-colonial-era Metropole hotel earlier, Trump again stressed the talks aimed at tackling North Korea's nuclear threat should not be rushed.
"I've been saying very much from the beginning that speed is not that important to me. I very much appreciate no testing of nuclear rockets, missiles, any of it, very much appreciate it," Trump told reporters before his session with Kim.
"Chairman Kim and myself, we want to do the right deal."
North Korea has conducted no nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile tests since late 2017.
Kim, asked by a reporter if he was confident about a deal, said, through an interpreter:
"It's too early to tell, but I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic. For what I feel right now, I do have a feeling that good results will come out," he said, in what was believed to be his first ever response to a foreign journalist.
Trump reiterated North Korea's potential, if a deal can be done, saying the isolated country could be an "economic powerhouse".
