Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Embassy and the Defence Attaché Office of Vietnam in Brunei held a ceremony on December 17 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the 35th anniversary of the All-People’s Defence Festival (December 22).
Co-chaired by Ambassador Tran Anh Vu and Defence Attaché Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Huan, the ceremony saw the attendance of representatives of Brunei’s Ministry of Defence and armed forces, those from foreign diplomatic corps, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the host country.
Addressing the event, Huan briefed the participants on the VPA’s journey and the formation of the All-People’s Defence Festival which, he said, reflects Vietnam’s long-standing tradition of all-people’s defence and reaffirms the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s view of involving the entire population in national defence.
The officer highlighted Vietnam’s “four nos” defence policy - no partaking in military alliances, no siding with one country to act against another, no foreign military bases in the Vietnamese territory or using Vietnam as leverage to counteract other countries, and no using force or threatening to use force in international relations.
He affirmed that defence diplomacy remains a key pillar of the Party and State’s foreign affairs, serving as a crucial channel for building and fostering strategic trust as well as friendship with other countries.
Vietnam has maintained defence ties with more than 100 countries worldwide and opened defence/military attaché offices in 35 nations, Huan elaborated.
The officer stressed that defence collaboration has been a pillar of the Vietnam-Brunei Comprehensive Partnership, saying it has been implemented on the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed in 2005.
Apart from regular high-ranking delegation exchanges and bilateral and multilateral defence information consultations, collaboration in education and training has been seen as a cornerstone of the bilateral defence ties, he continued, noting such training courses have helped enhance mutual understanding and strengthen connections between the two countries’ forces, especially young officers.
The Vietnam-Brunei Comprehensive Partnership Action Plan for 2023–2027 prioritises collaboration in economy, defence, security, education, and people-to-people exchange, Huan said, expressing his confidence that the relations between the two countries, particularly their defence cooperation, will grow further in the time ahead, for the sake of their people, and for peace, stability, security, and development in the region./.
