Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang hosted a reception in Hanoi on June 22 for Acting US Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, who is on a working visit to Vietnam.
Giang congratulated Cao on his appointment and expressed confidence that he would continue to serve as an important bridge in promoting relations between Vietnam and the US and between the two defence ministries.
He noted that Vietnam-US defence cooperation has been implemented effectively and practically in recent years, in line with the overall relationship between the two nations. Cooperation has focused on delegation exchanges, particularly at the high level, training, United Nations peacekeeping operations, cooperation among military services, cybersecurity, maritime security, military medicine, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Based on signed agreements and cooperation frameworks, Giang proposed both sides continue to effectively implement existing cooperation programmes, with priority given to delegation exchanges, training, maritime security, defence industry cooperation and collaboration among military branches and services.
Highlighting the spirit of “putting aside the past and looking towards the future,” attaching importance to cooperation in addressing war consequences and basing on the Memorandum of Understanding on advancing collaboration in war aftermath settlement signed in October 2025, he called on the US side to fulfil its commitments, including an additional 130 million USD for the dioxin remediation project at Bien Hoa Airport. He expressed his hope that the project would be completed before 2030, contributing to a safer living environment for local residents.
The minister reaffirmed that Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence would continue to coordinate closely and facilitate efforts to search for US personnel missing in action (MIA) during the war. He also called on the US to share more information, documents and belongings related to Vietnamese soldiers and support Vietnam in enhancing DNA analysis capabilities to identify war martyrs’ remains.
Giang welcomed the participation of US officials and defence companies at the third Vietnam International Defence Expo, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in December 2026.
For his part, Hung Cao highly valued the progress in Vietnam-US defence cooperation, particularly in maritime affairs. He expressed his hope that both sides would continue strengthening cooperation in this field, contributing to deeper defence ties and broader relations between the two countries./.
