Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – A delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, led by its Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, attended the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) held in Johor, Malaysia, on September 25.
Representatives from nine other ASEAN member states, Timor-Leste, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the bloc’s eight partners also participated in the event.
The meeting heard reports on the outcomes of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus Working Group (ADSOM+ WG), and an update from the ASEAN Secretariat on the recent situation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The meeting also discussed progress on the implementation of the ADMM+ (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus) Experts’ Working Groups’ Work Plan for the 2024–2027 cycle, and a draft Joint Statement of the ADMM+ on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.
Speaking at the event, Chien emphasised that the adoption of the Joint Statement holds great significance, reflecting unity, vision, and responsibility for peace, stability, and cooperation in the region.
With the spirit of solidarity, friendship, and cooperation, Vietnam hopes that all countries will set aside differences to achieve consensus and ensure the success of the meeting, he said, reaffirming the country’s full support for the decisions of the ASEAN Chair in 2025.
On this occasion, the deputy minister held bilateral meetings with the heads of delegations from Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, China, Russia, the US, and India.
During his meeting with General Tharapong Malakam, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thai Ministry of Defence, Chien proposed the two sides continue to enhance cooperation through all-level delegation exchanges, effectively maintaining information-sharing mechanisms, and promoting cooperation in maritime security and safety. Discussions also centered on implementing the communication mechanism between the Vietnam Coast Guard and the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC).
Tharapon agreed on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, and his readiness to work closely in effectively implementing the areas of collaboration decided upon at the Vietnam–Thailand Defence Policy Dialogue held in March 2025. He also expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, especially within the ASEAN framework, thereby contributing to strengthening intra-bloc solidarity and enhancing ASEAN’s centrality and stature. During his meeting with Richard Schmidt, Deputy Secretary for Defence Policy and Planning at the New Zealand Ministry of Defence, Chien stressed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its relations with New Zealand and highly values the country’s potential and standing in the regional and international arenas.
To further enrich and deepen defence ties in a manner commensurate with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister proposed the two ministries of defence promote delegation exchanges, high-level contacts, and consultation–dialogue mechanisms, while prioritising cooperation in training and United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Schmidt praised the achievements in bilateral defence cooperation over the past period, and also expressed his desire to further promote collaboration in various areas such as defence industry, UN peacekeeping operations, and maritime security, and support each other at multilateral forums, particularly within the ADMM+ framework.
Meeting with Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Industry of the Australian Department of Defence, Chien proposed both sides actively implement the outcomes of the eighth Vietnam-Australia Defence Policy Dialogue recently held in Hanoi as well as the signed 2025–2027 Defence Cooperation Plan.
He suggested the two sides continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation, and effectively carry out activities such as delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially at the high level.
Chien also suggested enhancing cooperation in military services, military medicine, war aftermath remediation, defence industry, and border management, as well as implementing the Peacekeeping Partnership Agreement signed at the end of July.
Jeffrey emphasised that Vietnam is an important partner of Australia, with defence cooperation serving as a key pillar of the bilateral relationship, particularly highlighted by collaboration in education and training. He expressed Australia’s desire to work with Vietnam to explore and expand cooperation into new areas.
The Vietnamese Deputy Minister also had a meeting with Colonel Song Xing from the Office for International Military Cooperation, who is head of the Chinese Ministry of National Defence delegation. He praised the positive development of Vietnam–China relations, and hoped that both sides would continue to promote the overall relationship and further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.
During their conversation on the sidelines of ADSOM+, Major General Aleksandr Zinchenko, Deputy Director of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defence, and the head of the Vietnamese delegation noted that bilateral defence ties have been steadily carried out on the foundation of a long-standing traditional friendship, a comprehensive strategic partnership, and the attention of high-ranking leaders of both countries.
Meeting with Andrew Byers, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese officer expressed his hope that US agencies will work closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence to effectively implement agreements on war aftermath settlement. He called for continued resource mobilisation to accelerate dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa airbase, with the goal of thorough remediation, and for the US support in addressing contamination hotspots at Phu Cat Airbase and other affected areas. He also urged continued cooperation in the search for Vietnamese military personnel killed or missing in action during the war.
At their meeting, Chien and Colonel Anurag Srivastava, International Cooperation Advisor at India’s Ministry of Defence, agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation, including delegation exchanges, especially at a high level, service-to-service cooperation, training, defence industry collaboration, and UN peacekeeping. They also discussed preparations for the 15th Vietnam - India Defence Policy Dialogue, to be held in Vietnam./.
