(VOVWORLD) - Two ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy, frigate HMNZS Te Mana and sustainment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa, docked at Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday for a five-day friendship visit to Vietnam.
 Colonel Le Anh Hoai of Naval Region 2 welcomes Commander of the Joint Forces New Zealand James Gilmour, September 24, 2023. (Photo: VNA) |
Commander of the Joint Forces New Zealand James Gilmour, who leads the delegation, said the visit demonstrates the intensive cooperation between the two countries and aims to help strengthen their defence relations as well as people-to-people ties.
New Zealand pledges to boost defence cooperation with Vietnam on the basis of respect for international law and the rules on navigation freedom, he said, adding that it believes the development and expansion of bilateral relations will contribute to regional security.
Vietnam and New Zealand have frequently shared information and promoted cooperation via the annual defence strategy and defence policy dialogues, along with within multilateral frameworks such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.
During their stay in HCM City, the guests will engage in a number of activities, including meetings with representatives of Vietnam’s naval force, sports exchanges, and community activities.
They will also join the High Command of Vietnam’s Naval Region 2 in a sand table exercise.