Vietnamese defence minister General Phan Văn Giang (right) had a meeting with US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Singapore on May 31. — VNA/VNS Photo

SINGAPORE — Việt Nam's Minister of National Defence, General Phan Văn Giang held a bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Saturday in Singapore, on the sidelines of the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Minister Giang affirmed that Việt Nam always regards the US as one of its important partners and expressed a desire for the two countries to continue enhancing cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, respect for international law, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political institutions, thereby contributing to the maintenance of security, peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.

He emphasised that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence is ready to effectively implement the defence-security component of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

He also expressed hope that the US and Việt Nam would actively negotiate to soon reach a mutually beneficial tariff policy.

Minister Giang noted that bilateral defence cooperation has been implemented in accordance with the directions from high-level leaders and based on signed documents and agreements, achieving practical results in various areas such as delegation exchanges, dialogues and consultations, war legacy remediation, training, and United Nations peacekeeping.

He expressed a wish for the two countries' defence chiefs to closely coordinate in organising meaningful cooperation activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalisation of Việt Nam–US relations (1995–2025) this year.

On this occasion, Minister Giang extended an invitation to Secretary Pete Hegseth to pay an official visit to Việt Nam at the earliest possible time.

For his part, Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his pleasure at meeting Minister Phan Văn Giang. He affirmed that the administration of US President Donald Trump attaches great importance to and highly values its cooperative relationship with Việt Nam, especially in war legacy issues.

He expressed hope for further vigorous promotion of US–Việt Nam relations in the time ahead, especially in bilateral defence cooperation and war legacy remediation.

The US Secretary also applauded Việt Nam's military modernisation efforts, which demonstrates Việt Nam's commitment to regional security and a free and open Indo-Pacific. — VNS