Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh has highlighted the two countries’ defence and security cooperation while visiting the US Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh (front, third, left), officers and cadets of the US Military Academy post for a photo

During the visit, made at the invitation of the academy and the US Department of State, Vinh met with the academy’s Superintendent Lieutenant General Robert Caslen, lecturers and cadets of the departments of social sciences and international relations.

At the meetings, he reviewed the two countries’ relations, valuing their comprehensive partnership with the principles of an equal relationship and respect for each other’s political regime and recent cooperation outcomes.

Both sides have regularly exchanged high-ranking delegations while enhancing economic, trade and investment links, he said, elaborating that bilateral trade has surpassed 50 billion USD, rising by more than 100 times from when they set up diplomatic ties in 1995. Cooperation in education, health care and science-technology has also been reinforced.

In terms of defence-security, they have been carrying out the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding for Advancing Bilateral Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Joint Vision Statement, which include cooperation in maritime security, search and rescue, natural disaster response, peacekeeping, war consequences settlement, unexploded ordnance clearance and dioxin detoxification.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia Patrick Murphy said the countries’ relations have recorded impressive strides over the past four decades, from former foes to comprehensive partners in multiple fields such as trade, security, humanitarian aid, people-to-people exchange and response to regional and global challenges.

Talking to the academy’s lecturers and cadets, Ambassador Vinh informed them about Vietnam’s reform achievements, development plans, foreign policy and international integration.

Vietnam attaches importance to relations with the US and will work with the new administration of the US to promote their partnership, he stressed.

Superintendent Robert Caslen spoke highly of growing Vietnam-US ties. He also introduced his academy’s training programmes and expressed the readiness to share training experience.

Cadets of the academy also showed their interest in the country, people and development of Vietnam, as well as the countries’ relations.

VNA