Young Vietnamese officers visit Singapore’s naval units

PANO - As part of the ongoing 4^th Young Vietnam-Singapore officer exchange program, the Vietnamese delegation on August 16 visited the Changi Naval Base, the Singapore Navy Museum and other naval units.

The Vietnamese delegation posing for a photo at the Changi Naval Base

At the Changi Naval Base, the delegation was briefed on the Navy of the Republic of Singapore (RSN) by Mr. Chew Kian Boon, the base’s head of the reception board. Accordingly, since its independence on August 9, 1965, although Singapore has had to import materials from other countries, the economy has still grown fast thanks to the development of seaports, shipbuilding industry and seaport services. To ensure its economic achievements, the country has invested significantly in modernizing its naval fleets. It has operated the most modern naval fleets in the region so far. The RSN has two bases, the big and the latest one named Changi and the small one named Tuas.

Also according to Mr. Boon, the RSN received the last of the six Formidable-class frigates in 2008. It has also operated four Challenger-class submarines and six Victory-class corvettes.

During a visit to the Singapore Navy Museum, the delegation of young Vietnamese officers learnt more about the formation and development of the RSN through a number of exhibits and a hi-tech data system.

Other places that the Vietnamese delegation called at were the Information Fusion Center, the Maritime Training and Doctrine Command, and Changi Regional HADR Coordination Center, which was set up in 2012 and has actively engaged in 91 humanitarian aid activities in the region and the rest of the world.

Notably, the delegation contemplated one of the six Formidable-class frigates.

After the visits to different naval units of Singapore, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Quoc Toan, an assistant in information processing and research of Center 47 of the Staff of the Vietnam People's Navy, showed his excitement about the meaningful visit to the RSN, the strongest component of the Singapore Armed Forces. He hoped that such a visit should be held for more young officers of the two countries to boost their ties and understanding.

Reported by Bich Trang from Singapore