July 23, 2025
HANOI – Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang held talks with his Singaporean counterpart Chan Chun Sing in Hà Nội on Tuesday, discussing ways to strengthen defence cooperation.
At the event, held after the welcome ceremony for the Singaporean official, Giang emphasised the strong friendship between Việt Nam and Singapore, noting that both countries are active members of the ASEAN community and share common strategic interests.
He described the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025 as a historic milestone, marking the opening of a new chapter in bilateral relations, including defence cooperation.
The Vietnamese minister praised the comprehensive and substantive results of the defence collaboration over the recent past, highlighting how these efforts have significantly contributed to enhancing political trust between the two nations.
Notably, mutual visits at all levels have been prioritised while mechanisms for consultation, dialogue, information exchange and personnel interactions have been effectively maintained, particularly the defence policy dialogue.
Cooperation between the military services, along with maritime security and safety and training, remains a bright spot.
Việt Nam and Singapore have also actively consulted with and supported each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms.
Giang expressed gratitude to the Singaporean Ministry of Defence for providing scholarships for specialised training and language courses for Vietnamese personnel, and for hosting officers from the Vietnamese Navy, Coast Guard, and Border Guard to work at the Information Fusion Centre (IFC).
He also thanked Singapore for sending a high-level delegation to attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and 35 years of the All-People Defence Festival, as well as the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024.
The minister suggested that both sides continue comprehensive and practical cooperation in areas such as mutual visits at all levels, maintaining effective consultation and dialogue mechanisms, personnel training, military medicine, sharing professional experiences, and exchanges among young officers.
He also called for continued mutual support at ASEAN defence and security forums as well as international events hosted by either nation.
Chan underscored the need to promote defence ties, making it on par with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Agreeing with Giang’s proposals, he said that Singapore stands ready to welcome Vietnamese officers for training programmes.
He expressed strong support for maintaining effective consultation and dialogue mechanisms, and looked forward to the success of the upcoming defence policy dialogue to be held in Việt Nam.
The same morning, Chan visited the headquarters of the Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel).— VNA/VNS