Hospital Ship 561 of the Vietnam People’s Navy returned to Cam Ranh military port of central Khanh Hoa province on May 16, concluding its trip to attend the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2018 (MNEK 2018) held on Lombok island in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara from May 5-9.

Hospital Ship 561 officers participate in Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo activity (Source: qdnd.vn)

During the event, the Vietnamese delegation participated in international fleet review, seminars and a community health programme.

It also joined activities such as sport events, art performances and a cuisine contest.

Vietnam’s participation in the MNEK 2018 showed the country’s responsibility and strengthened ties between the Vietnam People’s Navy with naval forces of Indonesia and other participating nations.

The Komodo exercise was initiated in 2014, aiming to strengthen links among naval forces in humanitarian assistance and settlement of maritime security matters.

Themed “Readiness and Cooperation for Responding to Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Contingencies,” the Komodo drill 2018 is expected to promote collaboration among countries in the field, especially in giving early warnings to prevent disasters, mitigate damage and improve emergency rescue.

This year’s event attracted representatives from 36 countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China, Russia, Japan, France, the US, the UK, and the Netherlands, among others.

Vietnam will host the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo in 2020.-VNA