At the reception, Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem reviewed some of the major achievements in the friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and the U.S., including bilateral defense cooperation.
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Overview of the reception |
He emphasized that over the years, the Vietnam–U.S. relations have been continuously strengthened and developed, achieving positive results across many fields such as politics, economy, education, defense, and security. Currently, Vietnam is the 8th largest trading partner of the U.S., while the U.S. ranks as Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner.
Alongside the overall development of bilateral relations, defense cooperation has also progressed positively and effectively, yielding concrete outcomes in several areas such as delegation exchanges, dialogue-consultation mechanisms, defense industry collaboration, training, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and military medicine. In particular, cooperation in war legacy remediation remains a highlight in the Vietnam–U.S. ties, strongly committed to by senior leaders of both countries and considered a priority.
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Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem and U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper in discussion |
The VPN has dispatched multiple delegations to attend conferences, seminars, and exercises as observers at the invitation of the U.S. Navy, and has also welcomed many delegations and vessels of the U.S. Navy visiting Vietnam. During these visits, both sides have conducted joint exercises at sea and exchanged expertise in search and rescue, medical services, and maritime law, thereby continuously enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the two navies.
Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem expressed his thanks to the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, and Navy for providing material support and medical equipment to the Naval Medical Institute and Hospital Ship Khanh Hoa (561), helping improve the healthcare capabilities for Vietnamese officers and sailors. He also appreciated the support that enabled many delegations of Vietnamese naval officers to attend international conferences and seminars on subjects, such as undersea medicine, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and to visit medical facilities of the U.S. Navy.
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Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem presents a souvenir to U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper. |
To further promote bilateral cooperation in the coming time, the VPN Commander proposed that both navies enhance delegation exchanges at all levels, and boost cooperation in training, especially in English language, naval medicine, and command and staff training.
The Vietnam People’s Navy is willing to welcome the U.S. Navy vessels to Vietnam in accordance with the Vietnamese Government’s regulations and with the permission of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense; and is also ready to collaborate in naval medical exchanges, search and rescue training, and formation maneuvering as part of future port visits.
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Group photo of both sides |
For his part, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper expressed his appreciation for the warm reception from the VPN, commended the growing strength of the VPN, and expressed his desire for deeper and broader collaboration between the two navies.
Translated by Trung Thanh