Australian navy warship HMAS Ballarat will pay a visit to Vietnam from August 22 to 26 to enhance ties between Australia and Vietnam, and the two naval forces as well, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam said on Friday. The guided missile frigate Ballarat will arrive in southern Ho Chi Minh City with a crew of 28 officers and 156 sailors, according to a media release on defence cooperation of the Embassy. The Commanding Officer and crew will meet with senior officers and sailors from the Vietnamese People's Navy to engage in a range of goodwill activities and to conduct a professional exchange on ship operations. In addition, the crew will participate in a friendly sporting activity with cadets at the Naval Technical College and meet local people to explore their rich traditional culture. Ballarat, weighing 3,600 tons and 118 meters in length, is an ANZAC Class guided missile frigate with roles including air defense, anti-submarine and surface warfare, surveillance, interdiction and reconnaissance. HMAS Ballarat is armed with Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, Harpoon Block 2 Anti-ship missiles, a Mk 45 127 millimeter gun and six Mk 32 torpedo tubes. Group Captain Matthew Dudley, Australian Defence Attaché in Vietnam, said the visit creates an excellent opportunity to stregnthen the defence relationship between Vietnam and Australia that commenced in 1999 and recently reaffirmed at a meeting between the two countries’ Defence Ministers in Canberra in February 2013. Vietnam and Australia have established bilateral defense cooperation relationship since 1999. So far, the Australian Defense Force (ADF) has helped train over 1,300 Vietnamese People's Army officers. The ADF is now assisting the Army in preparing for a future role in peacekeeping operations, the official said.