First image of US Secretary of Defense in Vietnam
This afternoon, Mr. Jim Mattis visited the US Department of Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency in Hanoi.
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis arrived in Hanoi on the afternoon of January 24, beginning a visit to Vietnam that will last until January 26. After arriving at Noi Bai airport, Mr. Mattis visited the US Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) in Hanoi.
The US Secretary of Defense writes in the DPAA guestbook.
He talked with Lieutenant Colonel Romel Pajimula, head of the DPAA office in Hanoi, and other staff.
Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich will host a welcoming ceremony for his US counterpart on January 25.
Vietnam and Indonesia are two destinations on Mr. Mattis's week-long tour of Asia. The Pentagon said the visit is intended to reaffirm America's long-standing commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.
US Secretary of Defense greets DPAA staff.
Mr. Mattis and US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink took a souvenir photo with DPAA staff.
During Mattis’s visit, Vietnam and the US are expected to discuss freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. The US Defense Secretary will also raise the issue of North Korea when meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart. After stopping in Indonesia and Vietnam, Mattis plans to travel to Hawaii to meet with the Commander of the Pacific Command, Harry Harris.
