Defence Minister, General Phan Văn Giang (right) and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. — Photos qdnd.vn

CEBU — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang on Wednesday held meetings with US Secretary of War and the defence ministers of Australia, Japan and the Philippines on the margins of his attendance at the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-20) and the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, the Philippines.

At the meeting with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the two sides expressed their pleasure at the positive development of Việt Nam–US defence cooperation in areas including dialogue and consultation, defence industry, military medicine and, in particular, cooperation on addressing the legacies of war.

General Giang and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth exchange information and war artefacts.

On this occasion, General Giang and Secretary Pete Hegseth exchanged information and war artefacts. The event further demonstrated profound humanitarian significance and contributed to the “500-Day and Night Campaign to intensify the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains”, which the Government of Việt Nam is implementing.

General Giang expressed the hope that, on the basis of the Limited Scope Project Agreement (LSPA) for the Biên Hòa Airport Dioxin Remediation Project and the Project to Support Improvements in the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange (AO), signed on September 23 by Việt Nam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence and the US Ambassador to Việt Nam to support Việt Nam in expanding the project assisting people with disabilities affected by AO, and in implementing the additional US$130 million commitment for the dioxin remediation project at Biên Hòa Airport, the US would cooperate with and support Việt Nam so that, by 2045, it could essentially clear all areas contaminated with post-war mines and explosive remnants of war.

The two sides agreed to continue coordinating and promoting bilateral defence cooperation on the basis of the needs, capabilities and interests of both sides, thereby contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

General Giang highly appreciated the US Department of War’s plan to bring a large number of modern defence equipment items for display at the third Việt Nam International Defence Exhibition, to be held in Hà Nội on December 10-13, 2026.

Developed cooperation

General Phan Văn Giang and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.

At the meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, the two sides assessed that Việt Nam–Australia defence cooperation had continued to develop positively, notably through exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly at high level; dialogue and consultation; United Nations peacekeeping; military medicine; naval cooperation; and experience-sharing.

These developments reflected the goodwill and joint efforts of both sides to strengthen increasingly substantive cooperation.

Minister Giang expressed his sincere appreciation to the Australian Department of Defence for continuing to deploy aircraft to assist Việt Nam in transporting the Level-2 Field Hospital No. 8 to carry out peacekeeping duties at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

In the time ahead, the General proposed that the two sides continue to coordinate and implement the cooperation contents that have been already been agreed upon, focusing on delegation exchanges, naval cooperation, search and rescue, addressing post-war legacies, and continued mutual support at international and regional multilateral fora.

The Vietnamese defence minister expressed the hope that Australian experts would visit Việt Nam to share experience in support of its search for, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains, thereby contributing to the “500-Day and Night Campaign to intensify the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains”, which is being vigorously implemented in Việt Nam.

The General meets with Japan’s Minister of Defence Koizumi Shinjiro.

At the meeting with Japan’s Minister of Defence Koizumi Shinjiro, the two sides were pleased to see Việt Nam–Japan relations developing with increasing depth and effectiveness, commensurate with the stature of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the world. Notable developments included the maintenance of delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, and the promotion of cooperation mechanisms and areas in line with the two sides’ aspirations and needs.

Việt Nam and Japan were also pleased to see ASEAN–Japan defence cooperation continuing to develop substantively, on the basis of the Vientiane Vision 2.0 and Japan’s JASMINE Initiative, through numerous exchange and cooperation activities such as naval ship-based training programmes, air force officer training, cybersecurity cooperation and capacity-building support.

General Giang has a bilateral meeting with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro.

Meeting Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, the two sides expressed their pleasure at the increasingly comprehensive development of Việt Nam–Philippines bilateral relations over the 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 12, 1976.

In particular, the state visit to the Philippines by General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and his spouse in June 2026 created fresh momentum for bilateral defence cooperation to develop more strongly, substantively and effectively.

Over the past period, the two sides had actively coordinated in implementing cooperation areas and achieved practical results, especially in the exchanges of delegations at all levels, cooperation among services and arms, dialogue and consultation, maritime security and safety, training, military medicine, young officers’ exchanges, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and search and rescue.

Minister Giang suggested that, in the time ahead, the two sides continue to coordinate and implement the cooperation contents already agreed, including delegation exchanges; logistics; search and rescue; maritime humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; cooperation among services and arms; human resources training; defence industry; maritime security and safety; military medicine; and cybersecurity.

Also at the meetings, Minister Giang stressed that Việt Nam’s Ministry of National Defence welcomed senior leaders from the US Department of War and the defence ministries of Australia, Japan and the Philippines to attend the third Việt Nam International Defence Exhibition to be held in December this year, and welcomed defence companies from these countries to exhibit their products at the event. — VNS