Defence attachés at the meeting.

PANO – The Department of External Relations of the Ministry of National Defence and the Department for Search and Rescue of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army on April 1st organized a meeting to brief foreign military attachés in Vietnam on the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH-370 from March 8th to 15th.

25 military attachés, led by Colonel Mullath Sri Kumar, Indian Defence Attaché cum head of the foreign military attaché corps to Vietnam, joined the meeting.

During the meeting, Colonel Vu The Chien, Deputy Director of the Department for Search and Rescue briefed on Vietnamese forces’ eight-day search for the Malaysian plane.

Upon receiving the news about the missing plane, Vietnam mobilized all of its forces, aircraft, ships and equipment to search for the plane. During 8 days, Vietnam sent 2,395 people, 11 different planes, 10 ships and equipment for the search. Besides, 815 fishing ships with 6,505 people were asked to join the search efforts of participating forces. The country allowed 12 planes and 19 ships of foreign countries to enter its waters to join the search.

These activities showed Vietnam’s humanity and responsibility for the international community.

Colonel Mullath Sri Kumar praised efforts of the Vietnam People’s Army in particular, and Vietnam's in general, and their active and timely cooperation in searching for the missing plane. 

Colonel Le Xuan Khanh, Deputy Director of Department of External Relations under the Ministry of National Defence, said that Vietnam hoped to further cooperate with other countries in the field of search and rescue.

Translated by Tran Hoai