Vietnamese, U.S. defense ministers hold phone conversation

Phan congratulated Hegseth on his appointment as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Defense.

He reassured Viet Nam remains steadfast to its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification, alongside proactive and comprehensive international integration, and being a friend, a trustworthy partner and a responsible member of the international community.

Viet Nam always considers the U.S. as a partner of top stategic importance, emphasized Phan.

He expressed his delight at the fruitful defense cooperation across all sectors in line with the overall relationship between the two countries, as well as the outcomes of Vietnamese Minister of National Defense's official visit to the U.S. in September 2024.

Cooperation in addressing the consequences of war is a highlight in the bilateral defense ties, noted Phan.

The U.S. continued commitment to mobilizing resources to handle dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Airport, supporting people with disabilities, clearing unexploded ordnance, searching for the remains of Vietnamese martyrs and missing U.S. servicemen, is of great significance, contributing to shelve past and look foward to the future, he asserted.

He called on the two defense ministries to continue maintaining delegation exchanges, high-level contacts, existing consultation and dialogues, particularly the organization of the 13th Viet Nam-U.S. Defense Policy Dialogue in Viet Nam as soon as possible.

Phan urged the two ministries to carry out activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of the Viet Nam-U.S. diplomatic relations in 2025.

Hegseth, for his part, affirmed that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump highly values its cooperative relationship with Viet Nam.

He expressed his hope to further strengthen the Viet Nam-U.S. partnership in general, and the bilateral defense cooperation in particular, via the agreed-upon areas, with a focus on addressing the war consequences./.