The closing ceremony of Pacific Friendship 2025 in Nam Đông Hà Ward. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG TRỊ — The People’s Committee of Quảng Trị Province, in collaboration with the US Army Pacific, on September 19 held the closing ceremony of Pacific Friendship 2025 in Nam Đông Hà Ward.

Speaking at the event, Hoàng Nam, Permanent Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said that over the past fortnight, Quảng Trị had become a hub of friendship, solidarity, and international cooperation. The activities carried out had been effective, leaving a lasting impression on both local people and international partners.

He stressed that in the context of Việt Nam and the US upgrading their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1995–2025), the success of the Pacific Friendship programme in Quảng Trị was particularly significant.

It served as vivid evidence of the increasingly close, substantive and effective ties between the two nations, while opening up further opportunities for cooperation for peace, stability and sustainable development in each country, the region and the wider world.

Running from September 9, the programme comprised 13 activities across four main areas: humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; healthcare; construction and repair; and civil-military engagement.

These initiatives contributed to improvements in healthcare, education, disaster response, explosive ordnance disposal, and infrastructure.

The programme’s dental team conducted 2,350 procedures for pupils at the local Gio Linh primary school; training was provided to enhance professional skills in neurology and physiotherapy; and 57 Vietnamese soldiers received basic rescue training. Public health lecturers joined 64 local medical staff in extended lifesaving and field care activities, as well as explosive ordnance disposal training. The Oregon national guard trained 27 officers on communications systems and drones, and donated 36 first-aid kits to partners at Quảng Trị’s centre for disaster prevention and mitigation.

Launched by the US Government in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, the Pacific Partnership programme is a multinational training and humanitarian assistance initiative. Since 2007, Việt Nam has hosted 12 such programmes in Đà Nẵng, Khánh Hoà, Bình Định, Nghệ An, and Quảng Ngãi. Each has yielded positive results, helping strengthen friendship and cooperation between Việt Nam and participating partner countries. — VNS