Hanoi (VNA) - General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence, has urged closer coordination between the VPA and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) to effectively implement agreed cooperation areas.
The call was made during talks in Hanoi on September 17 with a visiting RBAF delegation led by its Commander Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan. The delegation is on an official visit to Vietnam from September 16–18 at the invitation of Gen. Cuong.
Cuong proposed both sides maintain exchanges at all levels, especially at high level, and cooperation mechanisms such as consultations between armed forces and the Joint Working Group on military and defence cooperation; promote training cooperation; expand collaboration in potential fields such as defence industry, logistics, military medicine, search and rescue, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity; continue close consultations and mutual support in multilateral mechanisms, forums, and international events organised by each side.
Both sides exchanged views on global and regional developments and shared issues of concern. The Vietnamese general voiced his satisfaction with the progress of bilateral defence cooperation, citing advances in delegation exchanges, navy and air force consultations, naval port calls, professional exchanges, training, and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly ASEAN-led mechanisms and international events hosted by both countries.
Cuong stressed ASEAN’s central role in shaping and sustaining the regional security architecture while promoting practical cooperation among member states and with external partners. He also praised the strategic document “ADMM and ADMM-Plus Ready for the Future”, co-drafted by Brunei and Singapore and adopted at the 2024 ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting, as well as the Critical Underwater Infrastructure Security (CUI) initiative jointly proposed by Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand in 2025.
Turning to the East Sea issue, the Vietnamese official expressed hope that Brunei will continue to back ASEAN’s common stance of addressing disputes peacefully, in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He highlighted the importance of fully implementing commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalising a substantive, effective Code of Conduct (COC) consistent with international law.
For his part, the RBAF Commander recalled his meeting with Gen. Cuong on the sidelines of the 22nd ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM-22) in Malaysia earlier this month, where the two discussed bilateral defence cooperation. Endorsing the proposals raised at the Hanoi talks, he suggested that the two armies explore additional fields of cooperation where both have potential and mutual interest, thereby further strengthening defence ties in the years ahead./.
