Leading the New Zealand delegation, Commander of the Joint Forces New Zealand Rear Admiral James Gilmour said the visit follows a successful trip to his country by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defense, in July 2023.

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Vietnamese and New Zealand officers at the welcome ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24

It is a demonstration of the intensive cooperation between the two countries and aims to help strengthen their defense relations as well as people-to-people ties, he noted.

New Zealand pledges to boost defense cooperation with Vietnam on the basis of respect for international law and the rules on navigation freedom, he went on, adding that it believes the development and expansion of bilateral relations will contribute to regional security.

Over the past years, Vietnam and New Zealand have frequently shared information and promoted cooperation via the annual defense strategy and defense policy dialogues, along with within multilateral frameworks such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus.

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Sustainment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa of New Zealand at the international port of Ho Chi Minh City

During their stay in Ho Chi Minh City, the officers and sailors of New Zealand will engage in a number of activities, including meetings between the countries’ navies, sports exchanges, and community activities.

They will also join the Command of Vietnam’s Naval Region 2 in a sand table exercise.

Source: VNA