The CHODs is an annual in-person conference held since 1998 to strengthen ties among military leaders and promote cooperation, friendship and mutual understanding among the armed forces of countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Delegates posing for a joint photo |
The 28th edition, co-hosted by the U.S. and Canada, featured four discussion sessions and a working luncheon combined with a discussion session.
On the sidelines, the head of the Vietnamese delegation held bilateral meetings with the heads of the U.S., Australian and Canadian delegations and met with senior representatives from several Asian countries.
During his meeting with Adm. Samuel Paparo, Gen. Dao said that Viet Nam-U.S. defense cooperation has progressed in line with the broader bilateral relationship, with contributions from the U.S. Pacific Command. He thanked the U.S. for its support in addressing war consequences and expressed his hope that the U.S. Pacific Command would continue to attend the third Viet Nam Defense Expo. He also welcomed U.S. participation in the expo, contributing to its overall success.
Adm. Samuel Paparo thanked Viet Nam for its warm reception during his visit and working trip in early August. He said that he was deeply impressed by his visit to the Military Technical Academy and highly valued its students and facilities. He also noted the positive development of bilateral defense cooperation and thanked Viet Nam for allowing U.S. naval ships, including the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, to make a goodwill visit to Da Nang from July 30 to August 5.
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Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao (right) and delegates at the conference |
At his meeting with General Jennie Carignan, Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao praised the Canadian Department of National Defense for hosting the conference and highlighted progress in Viet Nam-Canada defense cooperation, particularly in delegation exchanges, training and U.N. peacekeeping. He expressed his hope that General Jennie Carignan would continue to serve as a bridge and promote increasingly substantive and effective bilateral defense ties.
The Canadian official thanked Viet Nam for participating in the conference and contributing to its success. She acknowledged and agreed with Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao’s proposals for future bilateral defense cooperation.
During his meeting with Adm. Mark Hammond, Chief of the Australian Defense Force, Gen. Dao affirmed that Viet Nam attaches importance to its defense cooperation with Australia, as reflected in General Secretary and President To Lam’s state visit to Australia in August 2026, which opened a new chapter in bilateral relations. During the visit, the two countries’ deputy prime ministers and defense ministers met and signed an Updated Joint Vision Statement on advancing defense cooperation between their ministries, as well as exchanged three cooperation documents on search and rescue, border guard and coast guard cooperation.
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Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao and Adm. Samuel Paparo |
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Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao and General Jennie Carignan in their bilateral meeting |
Viet Nam-Australia defense cooperation has been implemented effectively in such areas as delegation exchanges, training, U.N. peacekeeping, naval cooperation, and war legacy settlement, with peacekeeping cooperation a particular highlight. Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao thanked Australia for providing transport aircraft seven consecutive times and for its forthcoming eighth deployment to support Viet Nam in transporting a Level-2 Field Hospital to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
He also informed Adm. Mark Hammond that Viet Nam is implementing the “500-day-and-night campaign to step up the search, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains” and expressed his hope for Australian support in this effort. He asked the Chief of the Australian Defense Force to promote cooperation between the two defense ministries based on signed agreements and expressed his hope of welcoming Adm. Mark Hammond to the third Viet Nam Defense Expo in Hanoi in December 2026.
Adm. Mark Hammond welcomed the development of bilateral defense relations and agreed with the Vietnamese delegation’s proposals. He said Australia was ready to support Viet Nam in organizing joint search and rescue exercises and noted that cooperation in addressing war consequences in Viet Nam had been raised at the two defense ministers’ meeting in August and had received attention from the Australian Government.
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Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao, Adm. Mark Hammond (third from the left) and members of the Vietnamese and Australian delegations |
On the sidelines of the conference, Lt. Gen. Le Quang Dao also met with Sr. Lt. Gen. Yang Zhibin, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army; General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Army; Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea; and Lt. Gen. Sunrev Ganbyamba, Chief of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces.
At the meetings, the head of the Vietnamese delegation expressed his appreciation for defense cooperation with the countries and his desire to further promote substantive and effective cooperation based on existing agreements and in accordance with each country’s needs and capabilities.
Translated by Tran Hoai