Vietnamese navy joins first ASEAN multilateral naval exercise

Vietnamese naval ship, HQ 012 Ly Thai To, dropped anchor at Chuk Samet Port in Sattahip, Thailand on November 13, in preparation for the first ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX-1/2017) and an International Fleet Review 2017 (IFR 2017), held as part of activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN’s founding.

Vietnamese naval ship HQ 012 Ly Thai To
Vietnamese naval ship HQ 012 Ly Thai To

The Vietnamese delegation is headed by Col. Pham Tuan Hung, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Navy. A welcome ceremony for HQ 012 Ly Thai To was formally held on the same morning according to the rituals of the Royal Thai Navy.

As planned, Vietnam’s naval delegation will be fully engaged in all the exercise activities from November 14 to 29, including the harbor exercise, a workshop on how to respond to oil spills at sea, maritime environment preservation, and an experience sharing meeting in regards to the protection of maritime environment and resources.

The contingent will also participate in sport exchange activities in tactical teams, the opening of the fleet review, ASEAN street parade and food night, along with the mobilisation of lineup formation to prevent illegal acts at sea, among others.

This is the first time that naval forces of the ASEAN countries have conducted a multilateral exercise.

By fielding its ship to join in the AMNEX-1/2017 and the IFR 2017, the Vietnam People’s Navy has demonstrated its goodwill to strengthen cooperation with the Royal Thai Army and the Royal Thai Navy, as well as to consolidate friendly ties with naval forces of other ASEAN member nations.