Hanoi, The Europe Today: Việt Nam–Australia relations have developed rapidly in many areas, particularly since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024, participants heard at the 9th Việt Nam–Australia Defence Policy Dialogue held in Hanoi on Monday.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Trường Thắng, member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Standing Board of the Central Military Commission and Deputy Minister of National Defence of Việt Nam, made the statement while co-chairing the dialogue with Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary for Strategy, Policy and International Cooperation at Australia’s Department of Defence.
Broad-Based Defence Cooperation
Expressing appreciation for defence cooperation between the two countries, General Thắng said Việt Nam and Australia have collaborated in numerous areas, including delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially the senior level, as well as dialogue and consultation mechanisms, training, United Nations peacekeeping, the defence industry and military medicine.
He conveyed his sincere gratitude to Australia’s Department of Defence for supporting Việt Nam for eight consecutive years in transporting its Level-2 Field Hospital to carry out peacekeeping duties with the UN Mission in South Sudan.
General Thắng expressed hope that Việt Nam’s Ministry of National Defence would continue to receive scholarships from Australia’s Department of Defence at various levels of education. He confirmed that the Ministry is ready to welcome Australian military personnel to study Vietnamese and to attend the International Defence Officials Course in Việt Nam.
He added that the Ministry will also welcome a delegation led by the Chief of Army of Australia to the 3rd Việt Nam International Defence Expo, to be held in Hanoi from 10 to 13 December this year.
Australia Proposes New Areas of Collaboration
Describing the dialogue as an important opportunity for the two sides to further deepen bilateral defence cooperation, Jeffrey proposed that Việt Nam and Australia continue implementing agreed areas of collaboration while exploring expansion into new fields suited to each country’s needs and interests, with particular focus on maritime security and search and rescue.
Jeffrey said Australia’s Department of Defence would actively support Việt Nam in strengthening its capacity for DNA identification of the remains of Vietnamese service members who died during the war, and would promote cooperation and the sharing of information and documents related to the issue.
This support is expected to contribute to Việt Nam’s 500 Days and Nights Campaign to intensify the search, recovery and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers, while helping to consolidate and develop the Việt Nam–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in an increasingly substantive and effective manner.
Regional Security and the East Sea
The two sides also exchanged views on global and regional developments and issues of mutual concern.
General Thắng reaffirmed Việt Nam’s position of resolving maritime differences through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He said Việt Nam is working to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, and to build a substantive, effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea.
Roadmap for the Future
In the period ahead, the two sides will continue to implement the common understandings reached by their senior leaders and defence ministries, as reflected in the Joint Statement on Deepening the Việt Nam–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the updated Joint Vision Statement on Promoting Defence Cooperation signed by the two defence ministries in August this year.
Cooperation will be expanded in areas such as the defence industry, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and science, technology and innovation. The two sides will also promote consultation and mutual support in regional and international defence and security mechanisms, particularly ASEAN-led forums such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
At the conclusion of the dialogue, General Thắng and Jeffrey signed the minutes of the 9th Việt Nam–Australia Defence Policy Dialogue.
