Vietnam, Australia sign 3-year defense cooperation plan at Hanoi dialogue

The agreement, covering the 2025–27 period, was signed by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien and Australia’s Deputy Secretary of Defense Hugh Jeffrey, co-chairs of the dialogue.

Chien said the plan will support the implementation of a peacekeeping partnership agreement signed in July and called for continued collaboration in areas such as military exchanges, medical cooperation, defense industry, border management, and addressing war legacy issues.

He also urged Australia to consider increasing scholarship quotas for Vietnamese officers and welcomed ongoing language and leadership training programs involving Australian personnel in Vietnam.

Chien highlighted recent progress in bilateral defense ties since the last dialogue in Canberra in March 2024 and reiterated Vietnam’s support for ASEAN-Australia strategic cooperation, including multilateral mechanisms such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

He welcomed Australia’s active participation, including hosting the first ASEAN-Australia high-level defense dialogue in May.

Chien reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent defense policy of ‘four no’s’ — meaning no military alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign military bases on Vietnamese territory, and no use or threat of force in international relations.

He emphasized peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Vietnam Sea in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Vietnamese official called for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC) and the early conclusion of an effective, substantive Code of Conduct (COC) for the waterway.

Jeffrey expressed support for strengthening defense ties and welcomed further cooperation in priority areas.

He said maritime security and respect for sovereignty, international law, and shared rules are vital to regional stability.

The two sides agreed to continue working closely under existing agreements and frameworks.