A welcome ceremony was held for US Defense Secretary James Mattis in Hanoi on January 25th, 2018

During talks, the two sides reviewed bilateral defense cooperation and agreed on measures to bolster ties based on the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation from 2011, the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations (JVC) signed in 2015, the 3-year Action Plan until 2020, and agreements signed by senior leaders of the two countries.

Both sides agree on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation

This is Mr. Mattis’s first visit to Vietnam as US Secretary of Defense under the invitation of General Ngo Xuan Lich. The visit took place as the two countries’ comprehensive partnership continues to grow, especially after exchanges of visits between the two countries’ leaders last year.