As US President Trump holds his second summit this week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the world’s attention has turned to Vietnam. While relations between Pyongyang and Hanoi have chilled in recent years, the two nations maintain diplomatic and commercial ties.

In January 2018, then-US Defense Secretary James Mattis praised Vietnam for “supporting the UN sanctions” on North Korea, while acknowledging the economic costs borne by Hanoi. Vietnam told the UN in August 2018 that it will “continue to seriously implement relevant Security Council resolutions” regarding North Korea.

Hanoi added that in November 2017 it decided to “temporarily suspend exports to and imports from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of certain goods in compliance” with UN sanctions. Open source data shows ongoing commercial ties between the two countries.