Lt. General Tuan congratulated the Vice Admiral on his appointment as commander of the 7^th Fleet and said that defense cooperation between Vietnam and the US has been promoted through exchanges of delegations, training, assistance in search and rescue operations, and working towards overcoming the consequences of the past war.

General Tuan also said he hopes the visit by Vice Admiral Swift and his delegation will contribute to strengthening cooperative relations between Vietnam and the US in all fields, particularly national defense, for the mutual benefit of both sides.

Admiral Swift said US-Vietnam cooperative relations have progressed remarkably since the signing of a vice-ministerial level memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral national defense cooperation, adding that he will do his best to enhance cooperation between the two nations.