The meeting was part of the delegation's working trip to Egypt to attend the 4th Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX) held from December 1-4, months after the two nations elevated relations to a Comprehensive Partnership during State President Luong Cuong’s State visit to Cairo in August.
Van expressed the hope to enhance defence industry cooperation through more exchanges of delegations, especially those at a high level.
To fast-track progress, both sides committed to facilitating exchanges between their defence companies to understand the legal frameworks, requirements, and industrial capabilities of each nation, paving the way for feasible joint projects. They also agreed to hold bilateral defence industry forums and ensure reciprocal attendance in each country’s major defence exhibitions.
Host and guest discussed their respective approaches to building self-reliant defence industries and comparative sectoral strengths, with a view to establishing a legal basis for broader cooperation. Both sides agreed to consider signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence industry cooperation within the broader framework of defence ties.
Van announced that Viet Nam will host the third International Defence Expo in 2026 and extended an invitation to Egyptian firms to exhibit their products.
Minister Mohamed Salah welcomed the first-ever high-level Vietnamese presence at EDEX and said he would consider a visit to Viet Nam in the near future, underscoring that mutual visits are a vital premise to advancing defence and defence industry ties.
He agreed in principle to accelerate the planned MoU and confirmed that Egypt would soon send a draft text to Viet Nam.
While in Egypt, the Vietnamese delegation attended the fourth EDEX in Cairo, which attracted 150 official delegations, more than 40,000 visitors, and over 450 defence companies from around the world.
EDEX was held for the first time in 2018, drawing 373 major defence companies from 41 countries.
