Defense leader receives outgoing and newly-appointed Swedish Defense Attachés

A view of the meeting

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang and Lt. Col. Anders Nikanorsson

During the meeting, Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Truong Thang congratulated Lt. Col. Anders Nikanorsson on successfully completing his assignment. He commended the Swidish diplomat’s contributions to strengthening bilateral defense cooperation and the broader relationship between Vietnam and Sweden. He also congratulated Lt. Col. Stefan Ungerth on his appointment as Sweden's new Defense Attaché to Vietnam.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang reaffirmed that Vietnam regards Sweden as one of its key partners in the Nordic region and the European Union. He noted that the establishment of the Vietnam - Sweden Strategic Partnership in Science, Technology, and Innovation in June 2025 has further strengthened the long-standing friendship between the two countries and aligns with Vietnam's development strategy, which identifies science, technology, and innovation as key drivers of growth in the new era.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang hands over gifts to Lt. Col. Anders Nikanorsson.

The defense leader highlighted the positive progress in bilateral defense cooperation and expressed his hope that Lt. Col. Stefan Ungerth would build on previous achievements to further expand collaboration in delegation exchanges, defense industry cooperation, and military education and training.

He added that Vietnam's MND is prepared to welcome personnel from Sweden's Ministry of Defense to study the Vietnamese language and attend the international defense official course at Vietnamese military academies and educational institutions. He also expressed hope that Sweden would continue offering training opportunities and scholarships for Vietnamese military personnel in specialized fields needed by Vietnam's MND.

On the occasion, Gen. Thang invited leaders of Sweden's Ministry of Defense and Swedish defense industry companies to attend and exhibit their products at the 3rd Vietnam Defense Expo, scheduled for December 2026.

Delegates in a joint photo

For his part, Lt. Col. Anders Nikanorsson thanked the leadership of Vietnam's MND for the warm reception, affirming that Sweden highly values its defense cooperation with Vietnam and looks forward to further strengthening ties between the two countries and their defense ministries. Lt. Col. Stefan Ungerth also pledged to build on the positive achievements of his predecessor and further deepen bilateral defense cooperation.

Translated by Tran Hoai