Pentagon chief thanks Vietnam for supporting North Korea sanctions

Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday commended Vietnam during a visit to the country for implementing United Nations sanctions against North Korea. 

Vietnam, which has historically retained close ties to the reclusive country, said in an April 2017 report to the United Nations Security Council that it had enforced the body’s sanctions against North Korea. 

“I have to pay my respects there and thank them for their support on the [North Korea] issue. They have been supporting the United Nations sanctions, at some cost to them,” Mattis told reporters on his flight to the nation’s capital, according to Reuters.  

“And so we appreciate their leadership on that, leading by example and stepping up,” he said. 

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Mattis acknowledged that the sanctions, which embargoed key North Korean exports, would have a significant economic impact on Vietnam.

The Pentagon chief’s visit to the country came just days before the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive, a massive military campaign launched by the Viet Cong against U.S. allied forces throughout South Vietnam. 

During his visit, Mattis will meet with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which searches for the remains of missing U.S. service members. 

Mattis, who did not serve in the Vietnam War, said he hopes to continue developing stronger ties between the U.S. and Vietnamese militaries, and emphasized that the war was “in our past.”