Defense Minister welcomes and holds talks with his U.S. counterpart

Minister Phan Van Giang welcomes U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters.

Following the ceremony, the two ministers led their respective high-ranking delegations to hold talks.

During the talks, General Phan Van Giang emphasized that Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit holds significant meaning, as it takes place at the time when the two countries are celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1995-2025). He affirmed that the visit contributes to promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development between the two countries, as well as advancing bilateral defense cooperation.

The U.S. Secretary of War stated that his visit reaffirms the importance of bilateral defense relations within the framework of the Vietnam - U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He thanked Vietnam and the Ministry of National Defense for their strong support for the search for U.S. servicemembers missing in action (MIA). He stressed that cooperation in war legacy settlement remains a top priority in the overall bilateral defense relationship, contributing to building mutual trust between the two countries, their militaries, and their peoples.

The two ministers review the guards-of- honor of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Both sides assessed that bilateral defense cooperation has been implemented effectively in accordance with the directions of senior leaders and existing agreements, including the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation in 2011 and the Updated Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations in 2024. Cooperation has achieved positive results in various areas, such as delegation exchanges; regular dialogue and consultation mechanisms; training; U.N. peacekeeping operations; military medicine; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; cooperation among arms and services; and defense industry collaboration. The two sides have also coordinated closely in multilateral frameworks, especially the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

General Phan Van Giang chairs the welcome ceremony for the U.S. delegation.

General Phan Van Giang thanked the U.S. Department of War for maintaining English language and professional training support for Vietnamese military personnel, including peacekeeping training through courses and workshops held both in Vietnam and abroad. He noted that equipment and infrastructure provided by the U.S. have contributed significantly to enhancing Vietnam’s capability in participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Both sides reaffirmed that cooperation in war legacy settlement continues to be a highlight of bilateral relations. Specifically, cooperation in addressing the consequences of bombs, mines, and chemical toxins from the war continued to progress. Vietnam highly values the U.S. announcement of an additional grant of USD 130 million for the Bien Hoa airbase dioxin remediation project, raising the total U.S. non-refundable aid from USD 300 million to USD 430 million. On October 31, 2025, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defense and the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, on behalf of the Departments of War and State, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on enhancing cooperation in war legacy settlement, marking a milestone in bilateral cooperation.

The two delegations pose for a joint photo.

In addition, the MIA cooperation program has achieved effective results. To date, after 160 joint missions, Vietnam has returned to the U.S. 994 boxes of remains, of which 740 have been verified by the U.S. side. This reflects the continued joint efforts of both countries over the past five decades.

Moreover, regarding the search for Vietnamese soldiers who died or went missing during the war, Vietnam appreciates the information and documents provided by the U.S. and its support in enhancing Vietnam’s forensic capacity. Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in this area in 2021, functional agencies of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense have verified 44 of 45 information dossiers received from the U.S. and are continuing the search.

The two defense ministers during the official talks

To further promote bilateral defense cooperation, both sides agreed to continue delegation exchanges at all levels; effectively implement dialogue and consultation mechanisms; and strengthen cooperation in war legacy settlement, collaboration among arms and services, in defense industry, training, military medicine, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, cyber-security, and U.N. peacekeeping operations. They also agreed to maintain coordination in multilateral defense frameworks, particularly within ADMM+.

A view of the talks

The Vietnamese Defense Minister expressed his hope that the U.S. will continue assist Vietnam in training high-quality human resources and sharing cyber-security experience. He said that Vietnam is willing to invite U.S. officers to study Vietnamese and participate in the international defense officials’ courses in Vietnam. He also suggested that the U.S. continue supporting Vietnam in enhancing its capacity to deal with post-war bombs, mines, and chemical toxins; complete internal procedures to ensure that agreed-upon non-refundable aid, including the additional USD 130 million for the Bien Hoa airbase project, is implemented; and continue cooperation in searching for Vietnamese soldiers missing in the war. Vietnam, he affirmed, remains committed to close coordination and providing all necessary support for MIA activities to achieve the best results.

Both sides exchange war memorabilia after the talks.

On this occasion, General Phan Van Giang highly appreciated the participation of U.S. senior defense officials and modern defense equipment at the Vietnam Defense Expo in 2024, which contributed to the success of the event. He announced that Vietnam plans to host the third edition at the end of 2026 and hoped for continued U.S. participation and support.

The two defense ministers tour a photo exhibition on Vietnam - U.S. relations and bilateral defense cooperation.

During the talks, the two ministers also exchanged views on global and regional developments and issues of mutual concern. The meeting concluded with the exchange of war memorabilia.

Translated by Tran Hoai