The welcome ceremony to Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich at the Pentagon.

The agreement was reached during talks in Washington on Tuesday between Defense Minister, General Ngo Xuan Lich and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Miniser Lich is visiting the US from Monday to Thursday.  

The two ministers agreed to reinforce coordination under signed agreements, with priority given to post-war recovery efforts in Vietnam, response to non-traditional security challenges, and the UN peacekeeping activities.

Minister Lich said Vietnam considers the US one of the top important partners and always prioritizes developing bilateral ties based on the principles of equality, respect for political regime, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country.

According to Mr. Lich, the two sides have concluded the first stage of the Da Nang airport remediation project and are embarking on the second stage to serve the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2017. They are also conducting studies to launch a similar project at Bien Hoa airport in Dong Nai province.

The two officials also talked about the upcoming Vietnam visit by a US aircraft carrier, saying that agencies concerned will further discuss the trip when the carrier meets necessary technical requirements.

Secretary of Defence James Mattis lauded Vietnam for its effective joint efforts in seeking remains of US servicemen listed as Missing in Action (MIA) during the war.

He pledged continued support to Vietnam in seeking remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in the war and cleaning up the traces of dioxin at Bien Hoa airport.