Minister Phan Van Giang affirmed that Vietnam always considers the U.S. one of its important partners and expressed the desire for the two countries to continue expanding cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, respect for international law, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political institutions, thereby contributing to maintaining regional and global security, peace, stability, and development.

He emphasized that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense is ready to effectively implement the components of the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development between the two countries in the field of defense and security. He also expressed hope that the U.S. and Vietnam would actively negotiate to soon reach mutually beneficial tariff policies.

leftcenterrightdel
General Phan Van Giang holds a bilateral meeting with Secretary Pete Hegseth.

General Phan Van Giang noted that the defense cooperation between the two countries in recent years has been carried out under the direction of senior leaders and based on signed documents and agreements. This cooperation has yielded tangible results in areas such as delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultations, war legacy remediation, training, and participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations. He expressed the wish for the two sides to closely coordinate meaningful activities in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Vietnam-U.S. relations (1995–2025).

On this occasion, Minister Phan Van Giang extended a cordial invitation to Secretary Pete Hegseth to pay an official visit to Vietnam at the earliest opportunity.

For his part, Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his pleasure in meeting with Minister Phan Van Giang. He affirmed that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump places great importance on and highly values the partnership with Vietnam. He expressed a strong desire to further promote the U.S.-Vietnam relationship in the future, especially in the area of war legacy remediation.

Translated by Minh Anh