HÀ NỘI - Australian Navy warship HMAS ANZAC, with 28 officers and 156 sailors on board, is visiting Việt Nam from Monday until Thursday on a goodwill visit. 

The port visit is expected to strengthen the relationship between the navies of the two countries and enhance nation-to-nation ties between Australia and Việt Nam, a press release from the Australian Embassy in Hà Nội said.

The commander, Captain Belinda Wood, and the crew will meet senior officers and sailors from the Vietnamese People’s Navy to engage in a series of goodwill activities and to conduct a professional exchange on ship operations.

The crew will also participate in a friendly sporting activity with cadets of the Naval Technical College and also use this opportunity to explore Việt Nam’s rich culture and meet the local people.

“This visit is an excellent opportunity to build upon the Australia-Vietnam defence cooperation relationship that commenced in 1999 and has grown in size and complexity since then,” Colonel Darren Kerr, Australian Defence Attaché in Việt Nam, said. 

“Since 1999, the Australian Defence Force has trained over 1,500 Việt Nam People’s Army officers in Việt Nam and Australia and is now assisting the Việt Nam People’s Army to prepare for United Nations peacekeeping operations.”

HMAS ANZAC is an ANZAC Class guided missile frigate used in air defence, surveillance, interdiction and reconnaissance, as well as anti-submarine and surface warfare.

Weighing 3,600 tonnes and 118m in length, HMAS ANZAC is armed with Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, Harpoon Block 2 anti-ship missiles, a Mk 45 127mm gun and six Mk 32 torpedo tubes.

HMAS ANZAC is also fitted with a flight deck and a hangar for a multi-role S-70B-2 Sea Hawk helicopter and has a top speed of 27 knots. — VNS