Vietnamese Deputy Chief of General Staff receives Philippine Navy Chief

The Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy (left) hands over a souvenir to the Vietnamese Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

During the meeting, Gen. Dao highlighted the significance of the visit as Viet Nam and the Philippines are marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1976-2026) and actively implementing the shared orientations of the two countries’ senior leaders on military and defense cooperation. As maritime neighbors and active ASEAN members, Viet Nam and the Philippines have seen positive and increasingly extensive cooperation across various fields.

The Vietnamese official noted that bilateral defense relations have achieved positive results in recent years, particularly in such areas as exchanges of delegations at all levels; cooperation among services and arms; human resource training; exchanges among young officers; and close, effective coordination at ASEAN-led multilateral defense and military forums.

He expressed his hope that the navies of the two countries would continue to promote cooperation in delegation exchanges and reciprocal naval ship visits; maintain effective cooperation mechanisms such as consultations and friendship exchanges; and ensure fair and humane treatment of each other’s fishermen.

The Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy, the Vietnamese Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and delegates from both sides in a joint photo

For his part, Vice Admiral Jose Ma Ambrosio Quiatchon Ezpeleta extended congratulations to Viet Nam on the 81st anniversary of its National Day. He expressed his pleasure at the positive cooperation between the two countries’ defense ministries in general and their navies in particular, and voiced his hope that the two sides would continue to promote naval cooperation in an increasingly effective and substantive manner, further contributing to the strengthening of bilateral defense relations.

Translated by Tran Hoai