The agreement was agreed during a meeting in Hanoi on April 23 between General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Admiral David Lance Johnston, Chief of the Australian Defence Force.

Both sides reaffirmed that such cooperation is a key pillar of bilateral defence relations and aligns with the 2024 upgrade of the Vietnam – Australia ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Cuong noted that the elevation of bilateral relationship marks an important milestone, creating favourable conditions to further promote bilateral cooperation across various fields, including defence.

He highly appreciated Australia’s support, especially in transporting Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital to engage in United Nations peacekeeping operations in South Sudan in September 2024. He proposed that both sides continue working together to effectively carry out agreed areas of cooperation, particularly in peacekeeping, military medicine, and training, with an emphasis on English language and military-specialised education for Vietnamese officers.

Cuong also expressed Vietnam’s readiness to invite Australian officers to attend Vietnamese language courses at the Military Science Academy and senior officer training programmes at the National Defence Academy.

Admiral Johnston for his part expressed his delight at the strong development of bilateral ties, especially in defence cooperation.

He expressed his hope that bilateral defence relations would continue to grow in the time ahead, with an expansion into new areas of cooperation that align with the needs and capabilities of both sides.

Both sides also agreed to continue promoting delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultation mechanisms, and coordination at multilateral forums such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting plus (ADMM+). They also discussed closer cooperation between various military branches, border guard forces, coast guards, and military medical units of the two countries.

Vietnam, Australia share experience in promoting women’s participation in peacekeeping

The Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Defence Attaché Office and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam on November 8 jointly held an experience sharing session on the theme of women, peace and security in United Nations peacekeeping operations.