Ship 20 of Naval Region 3’s Brigade 172 is welcomed after arriving in the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam. — Photo of quandoinhandan.vn

HÀ NỘI — Ship 20 of Naval Region 3’s Brigade 172 arrived in the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam on February 18 to participate in the 12th Multilateral Naval Exercise 2024 (MILAN 2024), according to the Quan doi Nhan dan newspaper.

Themed 'Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration', the exercise will take place in Visakhapatnam from February 19 to 27. It comprises habour and sea phases.

Within the framework of the event, which is hosted by India, the participating navies of countries also join in various activities such as street parade, sightseeing, sports competitions and cultural exchanges. The opening ceremony of the MILAN 2024 is scheduled to take place on February 21.

Colonel Doan Bao Anh, Deputy Commander of Navy Region 3 and head of the Vietnamese delegation, said this is the third time the Vietnam People's Navy (VPN) has participated in Exercise Milan in India. Through joining in the exercises, the VPN continues to improve coordination and synergy in responding to maritime security challenges, strengthening friendship, understanding and mutual trust between armies and navies of countries, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, he said.

The participation in Exercise Milan is an opportunity for the VPN to improve organisational capacity, combat readiness, and mastery of weapons equipped for soldiers in the context of long-time operations at sea and complicated weather conditions, Anh said, adding that it also helps accumulate experience in participating and organising international events.

Earlier, the Vietnamese naval ship made a courtesy visit to Malaysia from February 8 to 11. — VNA/VNS