80th anniversary of Vietnam People’s Army celebrated in US and Poland

The Vietnamese Embassy and Defence Attaché Office in the US held a ceremony in Washington DC on December 9 (local time) to celebrate the event, with the attendance of more than 200 guests from the Department of Defence, the Department of State and armed forces of the US, alongside ambassadors of ASEAN member states, and defence attachés of other countries in the US.

In his address, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung recalled the pride-worthy history of the VPA and highlighted the efforts that the defence ministries of Vietnam and the US have been making to promote dialogue and jointly deal with war consequences, which have remarkably contributed to the recent enhancement of the two countries’ relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Vietnamese Defence Attaché in the US Col. Do Van Dang stressed that during the Doi moi (renewal) period, the VPA has been upholding its heroic tradition, constantly improving the overall quality, strength, capabilities and combat readiness, and properly fulfilling its role as an army responsibile for combat, work, and production, thereby further beautifying the image of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers".

Brig. Gen. Ricky Mills, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the US Air Force for International Affairs, affirmed that the cooperation in war aftermath settlement continues to play an important role in bilateral defence ties as well as the enhancement of trust and cooperation between the two nations.

He informed that the US Department of Defence will send Adm. Samuel Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, to attend the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024.

Col. Thomas Stevenson, former US Defence Attaché to Vietnam, stated that Vietnam has comprehensive strategic partnerships with most major powers in the world, and also sound relations with all powerful nations. Its economy is growing at a pace that many countries must admire. Vietnam's policies are working effectively, and this also means the US - Vietnam relationship will keep flourishing.

In addition to the cooperation in war aftermath settlement, the Vietnam - US defence ties have recently achieved positive results in many fields such as delegation exchanges, dialogue - consultation, training, UN peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, cyber security, military medicine, and maritime security.

Meanwhile the Vietnamese Embassy and Defence Attaché Office in Poland also held the celebration on December 10 in Warsaw, bringing together 200 guests, including Polish officials along with representatives of embassies and defence and military attaché offices of countries in Poland.

In his speech, Ambassador Ha Hoang Hai hailed the role of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) as a special political force absolutely loyal to the Party, State, and people.

He praised the VPA’s achievements in international integration and bilateral and multilateral defence diplomacy, as well as its active participation in UN peacekeeping operations and cooperation in non-traditional issues, humanitarian assistance, and search and rescue activities, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

The diplomat underlined that Vietnamese people always remember the priceless support from Polish people during their past struggle for national liberation and current national construction and defence.

He highlighted defence cooperation as an important pillar in the overall traditional friendship between Vietnam and Poland, which is being reinforced by both sides to strengthen the defence capacity of each country and make contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

For his part, Bejda praised the VPA’s growth and effective engagement in supporting people in pandemic prevention and control, overcoming natural disasters, and conducting search and rescue activities.

He affirmed that the Polish Government always places great importance on reinforcing the traditional friendship with Vietnam, saying the fruitful bilateral defence cooperation is of great significance in the national construction and defence in each  nation.

Bejda said he hopes to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Poland-Vietnam diplomatic ties in 2025, with a view to further boosting the collaboration between the two defence ministries, and discuss a score of measures to augment cooperation in mutual interest.