Vietnamese naval ship joins multilateral naval exercise in India

The exercise, themed 'Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration', aims to bolster maritime cooperation among nations amid the fractious geopolitical environment including growing global concerns over deteriorating security situation in the Red Sea.

From the Indian Navy, nearly 20 ships including aircraft carriers Vikrant and Vikramaditya and nearly 50 aircraft including MiG 29K, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft are participating in the exercise.

Within the framework of the event, the participating navies of countries also join in various activities such as street parade, sightseeing, sports competitions and cultural exchanges.

Colonel Doan Bao Anh, Deputy Commander of Navy Region 3 and head of the Vietnamese delegation, said this is the third time the Viet Nam People's Navy (VPN) has participated in Exercise Milan in India.

Through joining in the exercises, the VPN continues to improve its coordination and synergy in responding to maritime security challenges, strengthening friendship, understanding and mutual trust between armies and navies of countries, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, he said.

The participation in Exercise Milan is an opportunity for the VPN to improve its organizational capacity, combat readiness, and mastery of weapons equipped for soldiers in the context of long-time operations at sea and complicated weather conditions, Doan said, adding that it also helps accumulate experience in participating and organizing international events./.