Immediately following the ceremony, the two sides held talks, during which General Phan Van Giang extended his congratulations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Singapore Armed Forces (July 1, 1965 – July 1, 2025).
He emphasized that Vietnam and Singapore are both active members of the ASEAN community and share a strong friendship. The two countries have many areas of shared interest, strategic complementarity, and mutual advantage. The upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025 marked a historic milestone, opening a new chapter in the relations between the two Parties and States, including in the field of defence cooperation.

He noted that in recent years, bilateral defence cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore has achieved positive, comprehensive, and substantive results, making an important contribution to strengthening political trust between the two countries. Among these, delegation exchanges at all levels have been prioritized, and consultation mechanisms, dialogue platforms, information sharing, and joint activities have been maintained effectively, particularly the Defence Policy Dialogue. Cooperation in military services, maritime security and safety, and training continues to be a key highlight. The two sides have also actively consulted and supported each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms.

Minister Phan Van Giang expressed appreciation to the Singapore Ministry of Defence for offering scholarships for both technical and language training, for hosting Vietnamese officers from the navy, coast guard, and border guard at the Information Fusion Centre (IFC), and for supporting and sending a high-level delegation to attend the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army, the 35th All-People’s National Defence Day, and the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024.

Looking ahead, he proposed that the two sides continue to build trust and enhance comprehensive, substantive defence cooperation, focusing on high-level delegation exchanges, maintaining the effectiveness of existing consultation and dialogue mechanisms, expanding cooperation between military services and military medicine units, increasing the sharing of professional experience and young officer exchanges, and continuing to offer mutual support at multilateral defence and security forums within ASEAN as well as at international events hosted by either side.

In response, Minister Chan Chun Sing underlined the importance of the close collaboration between the two ministries in recent years. He expressed his belief that bilateral defence cooperation should be further strengthened to match the level of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

He agreed with the key points raised by General Phan Van Giang during the talks, affirmed Singapore’s readiness to welcome Vietnamese military officers for training programs, and voiced support for maintaining the effectiveness of consultation and dialogue mechanisms, especially in preparation for the upcoming Defence Policy Dialogue to be held in Vietnam.

Also on the morning of July 22, Minister Chan Chun Sing visited the headquarters of Viettel Group, the military-run telecommunications and technology corporation.

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