Vietnam and US sign new joint vision statement on defense cooperation

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (R) and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang during a welcoming ceremony at the headquarters of the US Department of Defense in Washington DC on September 9 (local time)

During their talks in Pentagon on September 9, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed Giang’s visit, and said the upgrade of US-Vietnam relationship to the comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023 provides a solid foundation for the future of bilateral relations in general and for defense cooperation between the two countries in particular.

“It's been nearly a year since President Biden's historic visit to Vietnam, when our leaders elevated US-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Today we'll build on that momentum by signing a new joint vision statement which charts how our countries will deepen our defense cooperation in the years ahead,” said Austin.

He emphasized the importance of cooperation in addressing war legacy issues, and affirmed the US Government and the Department of Defense would continue to collaborate and support Vietnam in this area.

“A key part of our cooperation is overcoming the legacies of war, and we remain committed to the fullest extent possible accounting for those lost during the war, and we appreciate Vietnam's longstanding support to help bring home missing US service members,” noted the Secretary.

Giang for his part expressed his pleasure at making an official visit to the US a yearr after the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development, towards 30 years their diplomatic relations in 2025.

He affirmed that Vietnam is keen to enhance cooperation with the US based on the legitimate interests of both sides, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the wider world.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Vietnamese Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang hold talks on measures to increase defence cooperation between the two countries.

During the talks, both sides agreed that bilateral defense cooperation has reaped practical results in various areas, including delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultation, war legacy issues, the search for US military personnel missing in action (MIA), training, military medicine, United Nations peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.

He appreciated US support in addressing war legacy issues, exemplified by the increased funding for the dioxin remediation project at Bien Hoa Airbase and support for people with disabilities affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam. The US has also provided records and various memorabilia related to Vietnamese soldiers who went missing or were killed during the war. Additionally, Vietnam has closely coordinated with the US to effectively implement joint MIA search activities.

Regarding future cooperation, both sides agreed to promote high-level exchanges and meetings, and to maintain existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms to enhance mutual understanding and trust, as well as to identify areas of cooperation that align with the needs and capabilities of each side.

They emphasized the importance of furthering cooperation in addressing war legacy issues, with a primary focus on accelerating the remediation of dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Airbase, dealing with unexploded ordnance, and providing information, documents, and support for equipment and DNA testing technology to assist in the search for and recovery of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang sign the new joint vision statement on defense cooperation between the US and Vietnam.

Both sides also vowed to further deepen cooperation in areas such as United Nations peacekeeping, training, military medicine, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and mutual support at regional and international multilateral forums, such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), while respecting ASEAN’s central role and consensus principle.

They expressed their belief that cooperative ties between the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam and the Department of Defense of the United States would continue to develop for the benefit of each country, and for the peace, stability, and shared development in the region and the rest of the world, contributing to the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development between the two countries.

On this occasion, Giang once again extended a formal invitation to Austin, the leaders of the US Department of Defense, and US defense industry firms to attend the second International Defense Expo, scheduled to be held in Hanoi in December 2024.

After signing the new joint vision statement on defense cooperation, Giang and Austin also exchanged several war memorabilia and information related to Vietnamese soldiers and US military personnel missing in action during the war.

Earlier on same day, the Vietnam Military Medical Academy and the US Uniformed Services University signed a letter of intent for military medical cooperation.