Vietnam and the US have affirmed to continue maintaining and further strengthening their defence cooperation, especially in issues of common concern.

The two sides made the affirmation during a meeting between Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and visiting Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J.Locklear Hanoi on December 10.

Vinh highlighted the important role played by the Command in promoting the comprehensive partnership between the two countries as well as their defence ties, saying that the visit will contribute significantly to fostering the friendship and mutual understanding between the two armies.

Expressing his delight at the fine development of Vietnam-US bilateral defence relations, Samuel said the two sides s hould further boost cooperation in overcoming war aftermaths and implementing the Missing in action (MIA) programme, which aims to search missing US soldiers during the war in Vietnam .

He also suggested the two sides support each other at multilateral forums, affirming that the Pacific Command is willing to deploy cooperation programmes agreed at the Vietnam-US Defence Policy Dialogue in Washington DC in October this year.

The same day, the US delegation held talks with Lieut. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.

The two sides reviewed the outcomes of bilateral defence cooperation in recent time and compared notes on several matters related to regional and international issues.

During their stay in Vietnam , the US guests paid a courtesy visit to the leaders of the Military Zone 7 High Command and worked with representatives from the Institute for Defence Strategy.

They also attended a ceremony to inaugurate a disaster management centre in the central province of Nghe An-VNA