Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister received Brigadier Andrew Charles Peter Kennett, deputy director of the UK Royal College of Defence Studies, in Hanoi on May 22.

Vinh welcomed his guest’s visit to Vietnam, affirming that it contributed to heightening the friendly relationship and mutual understanding, as well as fostering defence cooperation between Vietnam and the UK.

He affirmed that the two countries’ relations have seen fine developments in trade, investment, defence, security, culture and education. Especially, the two countries’ Governments decided to lift their relations to strategic partnership level in 2010 and the two defence ministries signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral defence cooperation in 2011, he said.

For his part, Brigadier Andrew Charles Peter Kennett said he believes that the visit will reap good results./.