VNA reported that on the afternoon of November 2, 2025, at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense welcomed and held talks with US Secretary of War (US Secretary of National Defense) Pete Hegseth on an official visit to Vietnam.
The visit of Minister Pete Hegseth took place in the year of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US (12.7. 1995 - 12.7.2025) and 2 years of the establishment of the Vietnam - US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development (9.2023 - 9.2025).
At the meeting, the two sides agreed that in the past, Vietnam - US defense cooperation has been implemented in accordance with the direction of the senior leaders of the two countries and the two Ministries of National Defense.
Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang would like to thank the US Department of War for maintaining support for English training and specialties, including United Nations peacekeeping for Vietnamese soldiers.
The two sides emphasized that cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war continues to be a bright spot. Vietnam highly appreciated the US announcement of a new support package worth 130 million USD for the dioxin Pollution Handling Project in the Bien Hoa airport area, raising the total amount of non-refundable aid from the US Government from 300 million USD to 430 million USD.
The search for missing US soldiers in the Vietnam War (MIA) has been effectively deployed. To date, after 160 mixed-use activities, Vietnam has returned to the US a total of 994 bones, of which the US side announced that it had concluded to identify 740 cases.
Regarding the search for Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed, lost information, or went missing during the war, since the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in this field in July 2021, the authorities of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense have verified 44/45 sets of information received from the US and are currently continuing to actively search.
Minister of War Pete Hegseth thanked Vietnam for its warm welcome, saying that this visit affirms the importance of bilateral defense relations, in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.
Minister Pete Hegseth emphasized that cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war continues to be a top priority in the overall bilateral defense cooperation relationship, contributing to building trust between the two countries, the two armies and the two peoples.
Minister Pete Hegseth said that the US supports a peaceful and prosperous Vietnam, promoting the Vietnam - US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.
