Vietnam and France have reviewed their achievements in bilateral defense ties and signed a letter of intent to further promote their cooperation in this field during the ongoing visit to Hanoi by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.

Vietnamese Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang hosted a welcome ceremony on Sunday for Minister Lecornu, who arrived in Hanoi for an official visit, during which he will attend the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu battle that marked the victory of the Vietnamese revolutionary army over French colonialists on May 7, 1954.   

At their talks following the reception, Minister Giang highly valued his French guest's visit as a contribution to further enhancing bilateral defense cooperation, while considering it a demonstration of the spirit of 'closing the past, looking to the future' for the sake of the two countries and peoples.

The two countries have the same views and interests in maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region and the world on the basis of respecting the interests of all countries in accordance with international law, Giang commented.  

The Vietnam-France strategic partnership, which was set up in 2013, has been developing intensively, diversely, and effectively across various fields, including defense, the Vietnamese minister told his guest.

Based on a joint vision statement on Vietnam-France defense cooperation for 2018-28 and an amended agreement on the defense ties, the two nations have achieved significant cooperation outcomes in dialogue and consultation mechanisms, delegation exchange, training, military medicine, defense equipment, maritime security, war-aftermath remediation, UN peacekeeping missions, and mutual support at multilateral forums.

General Giang urged the two sides to further strengthen defense cooperation in the aforementioned areas and accelerate discussions to soon reach a consensus on the Vietnam-France defense cooperation program for 2025-28.

He told Lecornu that Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense is ready to host French soldiers in Vietnam for courses at the National Defense Academy, as well as Vietnamese language courses at the Academy of Military Sciences.

Regarding maritime issues, General Giang emphasized that Vietnam persists in its policy of resolving any disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law and regional commitments, especially UNCLOS 1982 and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea, while promoting negotiations on a practical and effective code of conduct for the waterway.

Minister Lecornu underlined the great significance of his visit and highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation, sharing historical memories and how both sides have been overcoming war consequences.

He expressed his hope for both sides to sustain their efforts in advancing defense cooperation intensively, effectively, and in alignment with the bilateral strategic partnership.

The French minister and his host also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern.

At the end of their talks, the two ministers signed a letter of intent on strengthening defense cooperation between Vietnam and France.

As part of his visit, Lecornu will meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and head of the Party Central Committee’s Foreign Affairs Commission Le Hoai Trung before attending the anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, which will take place on Tuesday in Dien Bien Phu, the capital city of Dien Bien Province in northern Vietnam.

During the ongoing visit, Lecornu and Patricia Miralles, Secretary of State to the Minister for the Armed Forces, with responsibility for veterans and remembrance, one of the officials accompanying him, will visit the battlefield relics in Dien Bien Phu and meet with a number of Vietnamese and French veterans.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet told Voice of Vietnam (VOV) in a recent interview that Minister Lecornu’s visit demonstrates the spirit of 'closing the past, and looking to the future,' based on which the two sides work together for the development of the two countries and peoples.

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