On May 8, at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien - Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Minister of National Defense and Mr. John Noh - Acting Assistant Secretary of the US Defense Minister chaired the 13th Vietnam - US Defense Policy Dialogue.
At the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien emphasized that this dialogue took place in the context of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam - US diplomatic relations; the Vietnam - US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development continues to develop positively, increasingly going into deeper depth in all fields, including the defense sector.
Emphasizing the cooperation to overcome the consequences of the war continues to be a bright spot in Vietnam -US relations, committed by the senior leaders of two countries, considering this as a priority in the relationship between the two countries, Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien appreciated the US's new support worth 130 million USD for dioxin pollution projects at Bien Hoa airport area, thereby raising the level of non-repayable of the US from 300 million USD to 430 million USD.
In the coming time, based on the documents and agreements signed between the two countries' defence ministries, the two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation, effectively implement a number of cooperation contents, focusing on activities such as exchanging delegations at all levels; continue to effectively maintain existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms; the fields of training, military medicine, and United Nations peacekeeping;
Continue to consult and support each other at multilateral defense forums, contributing to affirming ASEAN's central role, contributing to peace, stability and common development. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense welcomes US soldiers to study Vietnamese at the Academy of Military Sciences and the International Defense Official Class at the National Defense Academy.
At the dialogue, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense John Noh emphasized that the US highly appreciated Vietnam's role in the region, and wished to strengthen and promote cooperation with countries in the region, including Vietnam, for peace, stability and development in the region as well as the world.
Recalling the phone call between the two defense ministers in February 2025, Mr. John Noh said that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirmed his support for a strong and independent Vietnam.
Regarding bilateral defense cooperation, the United States strongly supported the work of overcoming the consequences of war, highly appreciated the results of cooperation to overcome the consequences of war and MIA operational efficiency. At the same time, these activities show the goodwill and desire of the United States in promoting peace cooperation and construction with Vietnam.
Mr. John Noh also expressed his hope that in the coming time, the two sides will effectively implement the contents that have been agreed to update the Vietnam - US Joint Vision Declaration on Defense Cooperation signed in September 2024, while expanding areas of cooperation of mutual concern.
At the end of the dialogue, the two sides signed the 13th Vietnam -US Defense Dialogue Dialogue and handed over war memorabilia; Awarded the letter from the Minister of Defense of Vietnam to the US Defense Minister.
In particular, he highly appreciated the development of bilateral defense cooperation between Vietnam and the US in recent times, and requested the US Department of Defense to support and impact to facilitate the trade negotiation and tariffs in accordance with the interests of the two countries.
