General Phan Van Giang presided over the welcoming ceremony for the US Secretary of War.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Pete Hegseth's visit takes place in the year marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States (July 12, 1995 - July 12, 2025), and the 2nd anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

On the afternoon of November 2nd, at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters, General Phan Van Giang presided over the welcoming ceremony and held talks with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

During the talks, General Phan Van Giang emphasized that the visit of the US Secretary of War was of great significance, taking place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, contributing to further promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace , cooperation and sustainable development between Vietnam and the US, as well as bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries.

Both sides agreed that, over the past period, Vietnam-US defense cooperation has been implemented in accordance with the directives of the high-level leaders of the two countries and the two Ministries of Defense, as well as the signed documents and agreements, including the Memorandum of Understanding on promoting bilateral defense cooperation (2011) and the Updated Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement on defense cooperation (2024), achieving many positive and outstanding results.

General Phan Van Giang invites US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to review the honor guard of the Vietnam People's Army (Photo: Tran Quang).

General Phan Van Giang thanked the US Department of War for maintaining support in training Vietnamese military personnel in English and other specialized fields, including UN peacekeeping, through courses, training sessions, conferences, and seminars both domestically and internationally; the equipment and infrastructure provided by the US have significantly contributed to enhancing Vietnam's capacity to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.

According to General Phan Van Giang, cooperation in addressing the consequences of war continues to be a bright spot, with strong commitments from high-ranking leaders of both countries.

In the coming period, to further promote defense cooperation, based on the signed documents and agreements, the two sides agreed to focus on a number of specific areas, such as exchanging delegations at all levels, continuing to effectively implement existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms; cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war; cooperation in military branches, defense industry, training, military medicine, humanitarian assistance, etc.

In addition, General Phan Van Giang also expressed his hope that the United States would continue to support the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in training and developing high-quality human resources; and share experience in the field of cybersecurity.

Vietnam is ready to invite American officers to study Vietnamese and participate in the International Defense Officials Training Course in Vietnam.

Regarding cooperation in addressing the consequences of war, Vietnam requested that the US continue to support Vietnam in enhancing its capacity to mitigate the effects of unexploded ordnance and chemical weapons left over from the war; and to complete the internal process to ensure that non-refundable aid funds are implemented as agreed, including the additional budget of $130 million for the Bien Hoa airport project.

Vietnam is committed to continuing to cooperate closely and create the most favorable conditions for MIA activities, in order to ensure that the efforts of both sides to accelerate search operations achieve the highest efficiency.

General Phan Van Giang shakes hands to welcome US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (Photo: Quang Tran).

Appreciating the participation of high-ranking US defense officials and modern defense equipment at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024, the Ministry of Defense plans to continue organizing the 3rd Vietnam International Defense Exhibition at the end of 2026, and hopes that the Secretary, leaders of the Department of War, and US defense businesses will continue to support and participate.

During the talks, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth thanked Vietnam for the warm welcome.

Pete Hegseth stated that this visit reaffirms the importance of the bilateral defense relationship, in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation, and Sustainable Development.

General Phan Văn Giang at the meeting (Photo: Quang Trần).

At the same time, Pete Hegseth emphasized that cooperation in addressing the consequences of war continues to be a top priority in the overall bilateral defense cooperation relationship, contributing to building trust between the two countries, their armed forces, and their people.

Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the United States supports a peaceful and prosperous Vietnam, and promotes the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the United States, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia- Pacific region and the world.

The US Secretary of War also expressed his sincere gratitude for the active support and assistance of the Ministry of Defense and Vietnam in the search for American servicemen missing in action during the Vietnam War (MIA).

At the conclusion of the talks, the two sides also exchanged war relics.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/dai-tuong-phan-van-giang-chu-tri-le-don-bo-truong-chien-tranh-my-20251102171724380.htm