Australia supports Vietnam to send field hospital to South Sudan

Australia's Defense Minister said the country will support Vietnam in transporting a 2.5-meter field hospital to South Sudan by the end of June.

Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Donald Marles on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on June 2, according to VNA . The two sides agreed that bilateral cooperation has seen new developments in recent times, especially in the field of United Nations peacekeeping .

The leaders of the two countries ' Ministries of Defense agreed to continue effectively implementing cooperation in the signed fields, promoting the signing of the Peacekeeping Partnership Agreement and updating the Joint Vision Statement on promoting defense cooperation.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien thanked Australia for supporting the transport of Vietnam's level 2 field hospitals to perform tasks at UN missions. Minister Richard Marles affirmed that Australia will support Vietnam to transport the 2.5 level field hospital to South Sudan later this month.

Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien (left) met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Donald Marles on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2. Photo: VNA

Vietnam and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1973. The two countries established a comprehensive partnership in 2009 and a strategic partnership in 2018. The Australian Air Force has supported the transport of Vietnam's field hospital to South Sudan four times, as well as provided training and equipment to Vietnam's peacekeeping forces.

In April, Australian Governor-General David Hurley visited the headquarters of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department in Hanoi as part of his state visit to Vietnam. He said that the Vietnamese peacekeeping force had demonstrated professionalism in carrying out its mission and that Australia was proud to cooperate with Vietnam in this mission.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Hanoi today, marking his first visit to Vietnam since taking office in May 2022. During his trip, which will last until June 4, he is expected to meet with senior Vietnamese leaders to discuss measures to promote trade, investment, education links, and expand cooperation on climate, energy, and the environment between the two countries.

On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien also met with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Masami Oka, leaders of the Singapore Ministry of Defense and Canadian Assistant Deputy Defense Minister Peter Hammerschmidt.

During the meeting with Mr. Ly Thuong Phuc, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien suggested that the two sides proactively coordinate to implement cooperation in areas including delegation exchanges, border and sea protection management, early organization of the 8th Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange, Defense Strategy Dialogue and other cooperation activities.

The 20th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD20) in Singapore was organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) from June 2 to June 6 with the participation of over 550 delegates, including defense and security leaders and academic experts from 41 countries. This year's Shangri-La Dialogue was overshadowed by concerns about US-China competition and confrontation and the conflict in Ukraine, potentially creating major challenges for the regional security environment.

Huyen Le

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