Vietnam People’s Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy enhance cooperation

Rear Admiral Nguyen Viet Khanh delivers opening remarks at the meeting.

Rear Admiral Nguyen Viet Khanh, Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN), and Captain Herbert Pang, Deputy Head of the Naval Operations Department of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), co-chaired the meeting.

During his opening remarks, Rear Admiral Nguyen Viet Khanh emphasized the steady development and positive outcomes of bilateral naval cooperation over the past time. He noted that the two navies have effectively carried out various bilateral and multilateral cooperative activities, yielding substantial results. One notable area of cooperation was the exchange of non-military maritime information through the Information Fusion Center (IFC) in Singapore, which has contributed to enhancing maritime security and safety, fostering mutual trust and understanding, and strengthening the friendship between the armed forces and navies of the two countries.

Captain Herbert Pang speaks at the meeting.

Captain Herbert Pang expressed his appreciation for the increasingly expanded cooperation between the two navies. He expressed hope that the two sides would further deepen the partnership by exploring new areas of collaboration during the 10th meeting of the joint working group.

An overview of the meeting

The meeting included sharing of viewpoints on the regional maritime security situation in 2024 and an assessment of cooperative achievements since the 9th meeting held in March 2023. Delegates from both sides also discussed plans for future cooperation.

Representatives of the two navies exchange the minutes of the meeting.

Looking ahead to 2025, the two sides agreed to maintain delegation exchanges at various levels and organize ship visits combined with joint exercises, including formation movement, communication, search and rescue, and the implementation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES). They also planned to convene the 11th meeting of the joint working group and explore potential collaboration between the IFC of the RSN and the Saigon Newport Corporation of the VPN. Additionally, the RSN will support the VPN in training personnel in command and staff, international relations, English language skills, and long-distance maritime operations.

Translated by Trung Thanh