Pacific Friendship 2025 kicks off in Vietnam’s Quang Tri with US military participation

The opening ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Quang Tri Province Culture and Cinema Center in Nam Dong Ha Ward, with U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper attending.

The program, running until September 20, is co-organized by the provincial administration, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, and U.S. Army Pacific.

Under the program, around 110 U.S. engineering troops, medical professionals, incident command specialists, drone operators, and explosive ordnance disposal personnel will work alongside local communities on projects designed to enhance medical capacity, strengthen disaster response, and improve public facilities.

Activities at 10 sites across the province include disaster response training, drone operations, communications drills, explosive ordnance disposal, veterinary and military medicine exchanges, casualty care, stroke treatment, and school dentistry.

U.S. troops will also build a community facility, repair the Ho Xa medical station, and join English language programs.

Ambassador Knapper said the program contributes to a more prosperous and resilient Vietnam and reflects the growing comprehensive strategic partnership established between the two countries in September 2023.

Hoang Nam, standing deputy chairman of the Quang Tri administration, said the event highlights the province’s role in Vietnam’s international integration.

He noted that Quang Tri, once the site of fierce battles and a symbol of division and sacrifice, now hosts Pacific Friendship 2025.

The program also commemorates the 30th anniversary of Vietnam–U.S. diplomatic relations.

Pacific Friendship is a continuation of the Pacific Partnership program, launched by the U.S. government after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami as an annual multilateral initiative for humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness.

Since 2007, Vietnam has hosted 12 editions across central provinces, carrying out humanitarian and civil cooperation projects with U.S. partners.

In 2025, at the proposal of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the program was renamed Pacific Friendship.

At the event, Ambassador Knapper told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that addressing war legacies remains a key focus in the central province, where the U.S. dropped more bombs than it did on Germany during World War II and which is still heavily affected by dioxin.

He reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to continued cooperation in mine clearance, support for people with disabilities, and efforts to locate both missing Americans and Vietnamese from the war.