General Secretary and President Lam praised the selection of Quang Tri province, still scarred by war and recently battered by natural disasters, as the host for the humanitarian assistance and disaster response event. Through the Acting Secretary, he extended his regards to US President Donald Trump and the First Lady and reiterated his invitation for them to visit Vietnam at an early date.

Vietnam always considers the US one of its most strategically important partners, and wants to work closely with Washington to deliver on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework, advancing ties in a substantive, comprehensive and effective manner for the benefit of their people and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, he said.

He welcomed recent strides in defence relations and proposed that both sides continue to effectively follow the agreed mechanisms, programmes and principles of cooperation while turning collaboration into action in areas aligned with each country’s needs and interests.

Cao, in reply, expressed his pleasure at returning to Vietnam and praised the positive momentum in bilateral relations in recent years. He affirmed that the US values its relationship with Vietnam and supports a strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam that is playing an increasingly important role in the region.

He also voiced desire to further foster cooperation with Vietnam at the global, regional and bilateral levels. Agreeing with the host’s assessment, he noted that defence ties, including maritime security cooperation, play an important role in peace and prosperity for both countries, as well as security, cooperation and development across the region.

He also wished to expand cooperation in maritime security, capacity building, humanitarian assistance, disaster response and addressing shared regional challenges.

Highlighting the special significance of war aftermath remediation in bilateral relationship, the Vietnamese leader called on the US to continue maintaining and expanding projects on dioxin remediation, unexploded ordnance clearance and support for persons with disabilities.

Ahead of July, Vietnam’s month of remembrance for war martyrs and wounded veterans, he also proposed that the US step up technology transfers and provide information and personal artefacts that could help locate and identify the remains of fallen Vietnamese soldiers.

Such cooperation carries profound humanitarian significance and serves as tangible evidence of the two countries’ efforts to heal wounds, foster reconciliation and build mutual trust, he said.

Cao agreed with those remarks and reflected on his personal experience of being born during the war, saying that he deeply understands the suffering caused by conflict. Progress in addressing war consequences, he said, is a powerful testament to both countries’ shared determination to put the past behind and look toward the future.

According to him, these efforts have healed the war wounds and reinforced bilateral ties over the past decades. He thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their support in searching US servicemen missing in action and reaffirmed the US’ long-term commitment to war aftermath remediation schemes in Vietnam.

Moved on his second visit, Cao said he was deeply impressed by the country’s remarkable development and growing global stature. In his current position, and above all as a person of Vietnamese descent, he pledged to keep backing initiatives that encourage the Vietnamese community in the US to contribute to Vietnam’s peace, resilience and development, as well as the continued growth of Vietnam – US relations.

The host expressed confidence that Vietnam – US relations will continue to thrive stably, substantively and effectively, making positive contributions to peace, cooperation and development in the Indo-Pacific./.​

Vietnam, US seek stronger defence cooperation

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./. VNA