Reporter: This is the second time the VPN has sent a ship to participate in Kakadu. What does it mean regarding the relations between the two countries and militaries?
Colonel Alana Burkitt: Vietnam and Australia are close partners and friends with a shared vision of an inclusive, resilient and prosperous Indo Pacific region.
Australia is very honored and grateful that Vietnam will be sending Ship 016-Quang Trung to participate in the 125th anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet Review and Exercise Kakadu. It is a historic first for the VPN, being the longest deployment for the VPN’s warship; over 11,000 nautical miles and around 60 days.
The visit to Sydney by Ship 016-Quang Trung signifies the strength of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam, which was signed in March 2024. It also demonstrates the shared interest between our countries in enhancing the defense and navy relationship. The political trust that has developed between our two governments and militaries is significant, illustrated by Vietnam's decision to deploy one of its most modern warships to attend a major milestone for the Royal Australian Navy.
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Colonel Alana Burkitt, Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam |
The visit also demonstrates that Australia and Vietnam value experience sharing and skills exchange between our two navies and in the region. It shows we can work together to build people to people links and are invested in a shared commitment to regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Reporter: Joining Kakadu 2026 is the longest journey of a VPN warship so far, how does the Australian Defense Force (ADF) assist this?
Colonel Alana Burkitt: The Australian Department of Defense will contribute logistics and navigation assistance for VPN Ship 016's participation in the International Fleet Review and Exercise Kakadu. This will include transport for the crew in Sydney for them to explore and see the great sights of Sydney, my hometown. They will have the opportunity to visit the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and Manly Beach, and enjoy great Australia food, such as beef and kangaroo.
Australia will also provide fuel to assist with VPN Ship 016's journey to and from Australia, and participation in the International Fleet Review and the exercise.
Lastly, Australia will provide navigational support for VPN Ship 016 to navigate through some very hazardous Australian waters, notably the Great Barrier Reef along Australia's east coast.
Reporter: Back to Kakadu 2024, how did the VPN's first participation contribute to the success of the exercise?
Colonel Alana Burkitt: I have just started my tenure as Australia's Defense Attaché to Vietnam, but I have heard a lot about VPN Ship 18's successful participation at Exercise Kakadu 2024.
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A view of the conference before the voyage of Ship 016-Quang Trung and the delegation at Naval Region 4 on the morning of February 22 |
VPN Ship 18 provided a valuable contribution to the non-warfare elements of the exercise including search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and navigation exercises; provided support to the exercise headquarters staff, and shared Viet Nam's perspective on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief at the Fleet Commander's Conference.
What I also heard about was the success of Vietnam's participation in the cultural and sporting arenas. Vietnam was awarded second place in the volleyball and soccer, and I heard Vietnam's ship reception with wonderful food and music selections, was the best reception at Exercise Kakadu 2024. I also understand VPA Australian Alumni were among key crew-members and made a great contribution to Ship 18's success.
Reporter: What are the activities the Australian Navy and the ADF expect the Quang Trung's crew to participate?
Colonel Alana Burkitt: For the International Fleet Review and Exercise Kakadu 2026, the Royal Australian Navy and VPN will participate in the formation entry into Sydney Harbor, conduct skills exchanges in search and rescue, humanitarian and disaster relief, communication and navigation.
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Crew's preparations for the voyage inspected |
Australian ships and VPN Ship 016 will sail to Sydney together and participate in cultural exchanges an also sporting activities.
Vietnam will also participate in the leadership conferences where Vietnam, Australia and other leaders will exchange views on regional security issues.
There is a large Vietnamese community in Sydney, so it will also be a great opportunity for the crew to conduct cultural exchanges with the Australian Vietnamese community.
Reporter: How does the participation of the VPN's Quang Trung illustrate the defense cooperation between the two countries? Could you please brief our readers on the cooperation between the two militaries?
Colonel Alana Burkitt: The VPN Ship 016's historic deployment to Sydney next month is symbolic of the deepening defense and navy partnership between Australia and Vietnam.
The bilateral defense relationship between Australia and Vietnam was established in 1998. Since then, the relationship has gone from strength to strength with annual high-level dialogues, training courses and skills exchange opportunities constantly evolving.
English Language Training remains the cornerstone of our Defense Cooperation Program, which commenced in April 2000 with 17 VPA students. Australia now provides up to 450 English language training positions for the VPA in Vietnam annually, in addition to up to 10 positions for VPA students on English courses in Australia each year.
The cooperation between the two militaries has expanded to include service level cooperation with combat shooting exchanges, reciprocal ship visits and high-level visits, with the most recent, an official visit by the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, to Vietnam in January 2026.
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The ship’s technical equipment double-checked before the departure |
Australian support to Vietnam's peacekeeping journey began in early 2011 with the delivery of English Language Training. The first individual VPA officer deployments occurred in 2014 and since then Australia has partnered with the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations Training Center to expand our program to include skill exchanges in logistics, engineering, force protection, medical and women, peace and security seminars.
Notably, Australia has deployed C-17 military transport aircraft to assist Vietnam in transporting personnel and equipment during 7 deployments of the Level-2 Field Hospital to U.N. Mission in South Sudan. We are also planning to continue this support for the 8th deployment in 2026.
During Ship 016's visit to Sydney in March, the Royal Australian Navy will provide important ship survivability training for 17 VPN members in Melbourne. We are proud to support VPN capacity building as this will lead to more international engagement in the future.
Reporter: How can the two defense forces further their cooperation in correspondence to the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership?
Colonel Alana Burkitt: Defense cooperation between the two countries is continuously evolving and significantly contributes to the overall expansion of the bilateral relationship. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signifies the highest level of mutual trust and cooperation.
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The ship's crew-members ready for the voyage |
Australia will support military modernization and work with Vietnam to jointly identify areas of shared strategic interest. We are exploring new areas of cooperation, including maritime domain, information sharing, defense industry and search and rescue.
Another example is the upcoming Vietnam Defense Expo 2026 in December, which could open up future opportunities for defense industry cooperation between Vietnam and Australia. Therefore, it is essential that we continue to enhance defense cooperation in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries.
By Ngoc Hung