Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang on Wednesday held meetings with the US Secretary of War and the defence ministers of Australia, Japan and the Philippines on the margins of the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting and the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu, the Philippines.
At the meeting with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the two sides noted the positive development of Việt Nam–US defence cooperation in dialogue and consultation, defence industry, military medicine and, in particular, cooperation on addressing the legacies of war.
On this occasion, General Giang and Secretary Pete Hegseth exchanged information and war artefacts. The event also had humanitarian significance and contributed to the “500-Day and Night Campaign to intensify the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains” being implemented by the Vietnamese Government.
General Giang expressed the hope that, on the basis of the Limited Scope Project Agreement for the Bien Hoa Airport Dioxin Remediation Project and the project supporting quality of life for people with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange, signed on September 23 by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence and the US Ambassador to Vietnam, the US would cooperate with and support Vietnam in expanding assistance to people with disabilities affected by Agent Orange and implementing the additional US$130 million commitment for dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Airport. This would help Vietnam essentially clear by 2045 all areas contaminated with post-war mines and explosive remnants of war.
The two sides agreed to continue coordinating and promoting bilateral defence cooperation on the basis of the needs, capabilities and interests of both countries, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
General Giang highly appreciated the US Department of War’s plan to bring a large number of modern defence equipment items for display at the third Vietnam International Defence Exhibition, to be held in Hanoi on December 10–13, 2026.
Developed cooperation
At the meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, the two sides assessed that Vietnam–Australia defence cooperation had continued to develop positively, notably through exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially high-level exchanges; dialogue and consultation; United Nations peacekeeping; military medicine; naval cooperation; and experience sharing.
These developments reflected the goodwill and joint efforts of both sides to strengthen increasingly substantive cooperation.
Minister Giang expressed his appreciation to the Australian Department of Defence for continuing to deploy aircraft to help Vietnam transport Level-2 Field Hospital No. 8 to carry out peacekeeping duties at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
The general proposed that the two sides continue to coordinate and implement previously agreed cooperation areas, focusing on delegation exchanges, naval cooperation, search and rescue, addressing post-war legacies and mutual support at international and regional multilateral forums.
The Vietnamese defence minister also expressed the hope that Australian experts would visit Vietnam to share experience supporting its search for, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains as part of the “500-Day and Night Campaign”, which Vietnam is actively implementing.
At the meeting with Japan’s Minister of Defence Shinjiro Koizumi, the two sides noted that Vietnam–Japan relations were developing with greater depth and effectiveness, in line with their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the world. Notable areas included continued delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, as well as cooperation mechanisms and areas that match the two countries’ aspirations and needs.
Vietnam and Japan also noted the substantive development of ASEAN–Japan defence cooperation based on the Vientiane Vision 2.0 and Japan’s JASMINE Initiative, including naval ship-based training programmes, air force officer training, cybersecurity cooperation and capacity-building support.
At the meeting with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, the two sides noted the increasingly comprehensive development of Vietnam–Philippines relations over the 50 years since diplomatic relations were established on July 12, 1976.
The state visit to the Philippines by General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse in June 2026 gave fresh momentum to bilateral defence cooperation.
Over the past period, the two sides actively coordinated on cooperation areas and achieved practical results, especially in delegation exchanges at all levels, cooperation among services and arms, dialogue and consultation, maritime security and safety, training, military medicine, young officers’ exchanges, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, search and rescue.
Minister Giang proposed that the two sides continue coordinating and implementing agreed cooperation areas, including delegation exchanges, logistics, search and rescue, maritime humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, cooperation among services and arms, human resources training, defence industry, maritime security and safety, military medicine and cybersecurity.
At the meetings, Minister Giang stressed that Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence had welcomed senior leaders from the US Department of War and the defence ministries of Australia, Japan and the Philippines to attend the third Vietnam International Defence Exhibition in December this year, and had welcomed defence companies from those countries to display their products.
Sources: Viet Nam News
