Addressing the ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri People's Committee Hoang Nam described the province as "a venue for friendship, solidarity and international cooperation" during the program.

He said activities ranging from medical examinations and treatment, health consultations, professional exchanges, disaster response and search-and-rescue training to cultural and community exchanges, as well as the renovation of public facilities, had left a lasting impression on local residents and participants.

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Delegates at the closing ceremony of the Pacific Partnership – Pacific Friendship 2026 program.

PP-PF26 not only delivered tangible benefits to local communities but also helped strengthen the Vietnam–U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through practical and effective cooperation. The program helped to enhance the province's capacity in healthcare, disaster prevention and disaster response while fostering mutual understanding and trust among participants from different countries, Nam noted.

The official noted that 2026 marked the first time the Pacific Partnership program and the Pacific Friendship program have been held simultaneously in Quang Tri, demonstrating the increasingly substantive and effective cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S., while reaffirming the province's active role in promoting international cooperation for community welfare and sustainable development.

Now in its 22nd iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. The Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.

Pacific Friendship is an annual U.S. Army Pacific-led bilateral engagement focusing on the U.S.-Vietnamese People’s Army’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR), as well as various medical and engineering activities to advance the mutual interest of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Source: VNA