Phan Van Giang meets U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Cebu

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, the Philippines.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the positive development of Viet Nam-U.S. defense cooperation across various fields, including dialogue, consultation, defense industry, military medicine and, particularly, cooperation in addressing the consequences of war.

They took the occasion to exchange information and war memorabilia. The exchange underscored the profound humanitarian significance of the two countries' shared commitment to "setting aside the past and looking towards the future".

It also contributed to advancing Viet Nam's 500-day campaign to accelerate the search for, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains, which is being implemented by the Vietnamese Government.

Both sides vowed to advance the bilateral defense cooperation in line with their respective needs, capabilities and interests, thereby contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Phan expressed his hope that building on the Limited Scope Project Agreement (LSPA) for the Bien Hoa Airport dioxin remediation project and the project to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities in provinces heavily contaminated with Agent Orange (signed in recent September), the U.S. would continue to cooperate with and support Viet Nam in expanding assistance for people with disabilities affected by Agent Orange.

He further expressed his hope that the U.S. would assist Viet Nam in clearing all areas contaminated by post-war bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance by 2045.

The Vietnamese official spoke highly of the U.S. Department of War's decision to bring a range of modern defense equipment for display at the third Viet Nam International Defence Expo, scheduled to take place in Ha Noi from December 10 to 13 this year./.