Prominent among the guests at the event was Mark Field, former Member of Parliament and former Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, and representatives of foreign embassies and defense attaché offices.

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Vietnamese Defense Attaché to the UK, Senior Colonel Vo Van Thanh

Senior Colonel Vo Van Thanh, Vietnamese Defense Attaché to the UK, briefed the participants on the VPA’s development over the past 75 years and the birth of the Whole People’s Defense Festival.

Vietnam has maintained defense ties with more than 80 countries worldwide, he said, adding that the country has played an active role in regional and international cooperative activities in this sphere, especially UN peacekeeping operations.

The officer stressed that the Vietnam-UK defense collaboration has contributed to the VPA’s development and international integration, with various activities like delegation exchanges, training, and UN peacekeeping operations.

Since the two countries signed the first memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation in 2011, bilateral defense ties have taken big strides, contributing to their strategic partnership.

The two sides have held the annual Defense Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, Thanh said, adding that the British Ministry of Defense is one of the leading partners of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, especially in language and peacekeeping force training.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy and Defense Attaché Office introduced the 2019 White Paper on Vietnam’s National Defense.

Source: VNA