Two Gepard-class frigates, HQ-011 Dinh Tien Hoang and HQ-012 Ly Thai To, with more than 200 officers and crew on board docked at South Harbour in Manila on November 24, starting a three-day visit to the Philippines.

As scheduled, they will make a courtesy call to Rear Admiral Ceasar C.Taccad, the Philippine Navy Vice Commander and Major General Rolando Z Nana, Manila Police Chief.

They will visit the Vietnamese Embassy and take part in sports exchange with the Philippines Navy force at Fort Bonifacio.

After concluding the visit, the Vietnamese and Philippine navy men will join a search and rescue training exercise.

Vietnam and the Philippines signed a defence cooperation agreement in October 2010 and are making a research to develop a mechanism for defence policy dialogue at deputy ministerial-level.

In 2005, the two navies signed a working minute for the establishment of an information channel, which has helped rescue many Vietnamese and Philippine fishermen in distress.

They have set up a working group and its first meeting was successfully organised in March 2014 to devise cooperative orientations for 2014-2015.

VOV/VNN