Welcoming General Phan Van Giang and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation accompanying General Secretary and President To Lam on his State visit to Australia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said the visit provided an opportunity for the two sides to sustain the positive momentum of the Viet Nam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in which defence cooperation serves as an important pillar.
Richard Marles affirmed his readiness to work with General Phan Van Giang and the leadership of Viet Nam’s Ministry of National Defence to further strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of bilateral defence cooperation, thereby contributing to the robust development of bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect and for the interests of both countries, as well as for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.
Expressing his pleasure at the increasingly comprehensive and positive development of Viet Nam-Australia relations, General Phan Van Giang affirmed that General Secretary and President To Lam’s visit was of great political significance, providing strong impetus to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and usher in a new phase of bilateral relations.
General Phan Van Giang agreed with Richard Marles’ assessment that defence cooperation has consistently served as an important pillar of Viet Nam-Australia relations in recent years and has continued to expand in an increasingly substantive, effective and practical manner.
General Phan Van Giang expressed his desire to work with the Australian Department of Defence to translate the common understandings reached by the two countries’ senior leaders on defence cooperation into concrete action; strengthen the friendly, trusting and substantive relationship between the two defence ministries; and advance bilateral defence cooperation to a level commensurate with the Viet Nam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Priority areas include maintaining delegation exchanges and cooperation mechanisms; education and training; United Nations peacekeeping; cooperation between the services and branches of the armed forces; addressing the consequences of war; military medicine; search and rescue; defence industry; border management; and continued mutual support at international multilateral forums, particularly within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).
On this occasion, General Phan Van Giang thanked Australia for providing supplies and equipment to the Viet Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, making a practical contribution to improving Viet Nam’s training and deployment of personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
He expressed his hope that the Australian Department of Defence would consider increasing scholarships in specialised fields needed by Viet Nam’s Ministry of National Defence. He added that the Vietnamese ministry stands ready to welcome Australian personnel to study Vietnamese and participate in courses for international defence officials at its academies and educational institutions.
General Phan Van Giang also invited leaders of the Australian Department of Defence and Australian Defence Force, as well as Australian defence industry companies, to continue supporting and participating in the third Viet Nam International Defence Expo, scheduled for December 2026.
During the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments and issues of mutual concern. General Phan Van Giang reaffirmed Viet Nam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, as well as multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, with the aspiration to be a friend to all countries.
He reiterated Viet Nam’s steadfast adherence to its “Four No’s” defence policy and its commitment to dialogue in resolving conflicts and disagreements.
Regarding the East Sea/South China Sea, General Phan Van Giang reaffirmed Viet Nam’s consistent position that disputes and differences should be resolved by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Viet Nam remains committed to the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and hopes for the early conclusion of a substantive, effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
At the conclusion of the talks, the two sides signed an updated Joint Vision Statement on advancing defence cooperation between the two countries’ defence ministries.
During General Phan Van Giang’s activities in Australia, the two sides also exchanged three cooperation documents covering search and rescue, border guard cooperation, and coast guard cooperation.
