The Vietnamese delegation was led by Senior Captain Vi Duc Thanh, Second-in-Command of Navy Region 4, and the Philippine peers were led by Naval Forces West Chief Commodore Alan M Javier.

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Naval Forces West Chief Commodore Alan M Javier presents photos of the exchange program to Senior Captain Vi Duc Thanh, Second-in-Command of Navy Region 4.

After the success of the 5th edition of the Friendship Exchange Program on Song Tu Tay Island on August 30, 2019, the edition held this time aimed at consolidating and strengthening friendship, cooperation, trust, and mutual understanding between the two militaries in general and the two navies in particular. The exchange also effectively implemented contents of the Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening bilateral cooperation and information sharing between the VPN and the PN signed in October 2011 and the Regulations on friendship exchanges held on Song Tu Tay and Song Tu Dong islands signed by the VPN and the PN in March 2012.

The exchange program this time featured various activities including information sharing for search and rescue operations at sea, maritime security, and natural disaster warnings; the practice of the Code for Unexpected Encounters at Sea (CUES); planning of activities for the 7th edition of the exchange program in 2024 on Song Tu Tay Island; proposal of measures for cooperation in information sharing, search and rescue in the coming time, and more.

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The two sides at the exchange program

The exchange program created an atmosphere of friendliness, closeness and mutual understanding between the forces stationed on the two islands, contributing to the better coordination in natural disaster response, search and rescue operations, and maintenance of peace, stability and security in the East Sea (South China Sea).

Translated by Chung Anh