Receiving Deputy Minister Thang on the sidelines of the International Defence Industry and Aerospace Exhibition (SAHA 2026) on May 6, Güler thanked Vietnam for sending a high-level delegation to attend SAHA 2026, one of Türkiye’s leading defence and aerospace exhibitions.

Highlighting Vietnam’s growing international role and position, the Turkish defence chief said Ankara hopes to expand exchanges at all levels, strengthen cooperation between military branches and promote practical defence industry collaboration.

According to Güler, Türkiye is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in areas such as shipbuilding, equipment maintenance and modernisation, military technology transfer and defence industry development.

The Turkish minister also expressed his hope to soon welcome General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, on an official visit to Turkey to further advance bilateral defence ties.

For his part, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang thanked the Turkish side for its warm reception and highly appreciated the scale, reputation and professionalism of SAHA 2026.

He emphasised that Vietnam highly values Türkiye’s role and influence both regionally and internationally, considering Türkiye one of Vietnam’s important partners in the region.

According to the Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister, bilateral defence cooperation has achieved positive progress in recent years across multiple areas, including high-level delegation exchanges, the establishment of resident defence attaché offices in each country, the development of cooperation frameworks, deputy minister-level defence policy dialogues, defence industry cooperation, military trade and personnel training.

Discussing future cooperation priorities, Thang proposed that Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence continue directing relevant agencies to strengthen delegation exchanges, maintain the effectiveness of the deputy minister-level defence policy dialogue mechanism, expand defence training cooperation and further promote defence industry and military trade collaboration.

He also called for broader cooperation in mutually beneficial areas aligned with both countries’ strategic interests.

During the meeting, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang conveyed an invitation from General Phan Van Giang to Minister Yaşar Güler and Turkish defence enterprises to attend the third Vietnam International Defence Expo, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in December 2026.

Güler thanked Vietnam for the invitation and confirmed that Türkiye would send a delegation, including major defence companies, to participate in the exhibition.

On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation visited exhibition booths of MKE and Aselsan, two Turkish defense corporations, during SAHA 2026.

At working sessions with the leadership of the two Turkish defence corporations, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang praised their capabilities in manufacturing weapons, ammunition, explosives, military equipment and advanced defence technologies.

He also proposed measures to strengthen defence industry cooperation between Vietnamese and Turkish enterprises while inviting both companies to showcase products at Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026.

Leaders of MKE and Aselsan expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Vietnam’s defence industry in several strategic and high-potential sectors.

Vietnam attends SAHA 2026 defence, aerospace exhibition in Türkiye

A high-ranking delegation from Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence led by Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang has attended the SAHA 2026 International Defence & Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul at the invitation of the Turkish Ministry of National Defence.