Deputy Minister of National Defense Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang chaired the meeting. Also attending were Sr. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, along with leaders of relevant agencies and units under the MND.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang chairs the meeting. |
The exchange is set to take place in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Truong Thang highlighted the significance of the upcoming event, describing it as one of the most important defense external relations activities of 2026.
He emphasized that the exchange plays a key role in strengthening friendship and solidarity among border protection forces, local authorities, and residents in border areas of both countries. It also reaffirms the shared determination of the two militaries to continue building and safeguarding a border of peace, stability, friendship, and cooperation for mutual development.
Given the limited time remaining before the event, General Thang called on all relevant agencies and units to act with the highest sense of responsibility to ensure thorough, respectful, and absolutely safe preparations. He directed them to conduct field surveys of the planned venues in parallel with comprehensive logistical and organizational preparations, pro-actively address difficulties, and promptly report and propose solutions to any issues that may arise.
At the meeting, representatives of participating agencies and units presented preliminary reports on their progress and put forward proposals related to protocol arrangements, ceremonial activities, security and safety measures, logistics support, and communications.
Leaders of the Department of Foreign Relations and the Vietnam Border Guard Command reported that they had coordinated closely in surveying the locations for the exchange’s activities and had reached basic agreement on several organizational plans and key contents.
In his concluding remarks, the defense leader commended the pro-active and early efforts of the involved agencies and units and expressed general agreement with the proposals presented. He stressed the need for close coordination among participating forces and pro-active engagement with the Chinese side to promptly finalize the schedule, complete the overall program framework, and develop a detailed script for the exchange.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan speaking at the meeting |
He also urged chains-of-command of agencies and units to direct and strictly follow assigned responsibilities in order to accelerate implementation. Tasks must be promptly assigned not only to military units but also to relevant civilian agencies and local authorities involved in organizing the event, ensuring that the exchange is successfully held and meets the expectations of the ministry’s leadership as well as the attention of Party, State, and Government leaders.
According to the tentative plan, activities in Vietnam will include a welcoming ceremony for the Chinese Minister of National Defense at Mong Cai International Border Gate; a friendship tree-planting ceremony; the ground-breaking ceremony for a friendship medical station; visits to Tran Phu High School in Mong Cai ward, Quang Ninh province, and Tra Co Border Post; and talks between the two defense ministers.
In China, planned activities include a welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese Minister of National Defense at the Dongxing International Border Gate; a visit to a border guard company; a friendship tree-planting ceremony; and a departure ceremony for joint patrol and joint training activities in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin between the two navies.
Translated by Tran Hoai