A delegation from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, led by Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, is visiting Vietnam from September 16-18 at the invitation of General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong hosted a welcome ceremony for the Brunei delegation at the Ministry of National Defence headquarters in Hanoi on September.

At a bilateral meeting following the welcome ceremony, General Nguyen Tan Cuong said that the visit takes place amid increasingly strengthened bilateral ties and expressed confidence that both sides would reach a common perception following the talks, contributing to the practical and effective development of cooperation between the two armies.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on global and regional situation and issues of mutual concern. The Vietnamese General Chief of Staff expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of military and defence cooperation between the two countries to date, while highlighting areas such as high-level delegation exchanges; consultation mechanisms between the navies and air forces; ship visits, professional exchanges, and training; as well as mutual support and consultation at multilateral forums, particularly those led by ASEAN and international events organized by each country.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong laid stress on ASEAN’s crucial role in shaping and maintaining regional security architecture, augmenting practical cooperation among member states as well as between ASEAN and its partners. He also appreciated the strategic document “ADMM and ADMM+ Ready for the Future” developed by Brunei and Singapore, approved by the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in 2024, and the “Critical Undersea Infrastructure Security” initiative jointly proposed by Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand in 2025.

Regarding the situation in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea), General Nguyen Tan Cuong expressed Vietnam’s hope that Brunei would continue to coordinate in promoting ASEAN’s stance on resolving all disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); effectively realizing all relevant international and regional commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC); and promptly concluding negotiations and signing a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) that is effective, efficient, and compliant with international law.

On this occasion, General Nguyen Tan Cuong also thanked Brunei for sending a high-level delegation, led by the Second Minister of Defence, to attend the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and the 2nd Vietnam International Defence Expo in December 2024.

Looking ahead, the General Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army proposed that both sides continue to coordinate in effectively implementing several key measures such as maintaining delegation exchange delegations at all levels, especially high-level delegations, and cooperation mechanisms such as inter-service consultations and the Joint Working Group on military and defence cooperation; stepping up training cooperation; expanding cooperation in potential areas including defence industry, logistics, military medicine, search and rescue, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity; and continuing close consultations and mutual support within multilateral mechanisms, forums, and international events organized by each side.

Expressing gratitude for the warm reception by the Ministry of Defence of Vietnam and personally by General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan conveyed his confidence that the delegation’s visit to Vietnam would be highly successful.

According to the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Malaysia in September 2025, he and General Nguyen Tan Cuong, General Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, exchanged on various aspects of bilateral defence relations. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces Commander expressed his admiration for his visit to Vietnam and participation in the first Vietnam International Defence Exhibition in 2022, where he had the opportunity to meet and engage with numerous Vietnamese and ASEAN partners, as well as observe Vietnam’s demonstrations at the exhibition.

Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan also congratulated Vietnam on the successful celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2, highlighting Vietnam’s prominent standing in the international arena.

Agreeing with the contents raised by General Nguyen Tan Cuong during the talks, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Commander suggested that both sides explore and develop additional areas of cooperation where mutual potential and needs exist as a contribution to further strengthening bilateral ties in the time ahead.

Vietnamese Prime Minister meets with Sultan of Brunei

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Vientiane, Laos, on October 9 on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits.