Vietnamese defence minister General Phan Van Giang (right) meets with US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Singapore on May 31.
During the meeting, Minister Giang reaffirmed Vietnam’s view of the United States as one of its important partners and expressed a desire to further strengthen cooperation based on equality, mutual benefit, respect for international law, and the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political institutions.
He emphasised that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence is committed to effectively implementing the defence-security pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Minister Giang also expressed hope that both sides would accelerate negotiations toward a mutually beneficial tariff policy, promoting deeper bilateral economic engagement.
He noted that defence cooperation between the two countries has been implemented in accordance with high-level directives and existing agreements, yielding practical outcomes in areas such as delegation exchanges, dialogues and consultations, war legacy remediation, training, and United Nations peacekeeping.
Looking ahead to the 30th anniversary of the normalisation of Vietnam–US relations (1995–2025), Minister Giang called for close coordination between defence leaders to organise meaningful commemorative activities. He also extended an invitation for Secretary Hegseth to visit Vietnam at the earliest convenience.
For his part, Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his pleasure in meeting Minister Giang and reiterated that the administration of US President Donald Trump places great importance on its partnership with Vietnam, particularly in addressing war legacy issues.
He expressed strong interest in further advancing US–Vietnam relations, especially in the fields of defence cooperation and post-war remediation efforts.
Secretary Hegseth also commended Vietnam’s military modernisation initiatives, calling them a testament to the country’s commitment to regional security and the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
