General Secretary and President To Lam received acting Secretary of the US Navy Hung Cao

At the reception this morning at the President’s Office, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always considers the US a partner of top strategic importance, expressing the desire to continue actively implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework with the US, helping the two countries’ relations develop more and more substantially, deeply and effectively, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The General Secretary and President proposed that the two sides continue to effectively implement the agreed mechanisms, programs and principles of cooperation on national defense, concretizing cooperation in a number of fields in accordance with the needs and interests of each side.

Acting Minister Hung Cao, who is visiting Vietnam on the occasion of participating in the Pacific Partnership – Pacific Friends 2026 Program (PP-PF26), affirmed that the US attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam, supports a strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam, playing an increasingly important role in the region, and wishes to continue promoting cooperation between the two countries on bilateral, regional and global levels.

He said that defense cooperation, including maritime security, plays an important role for peace and prosperity of the two countries, as well as security, cooperation and development in the region. Acting Minister Hung Cao expressed his desire to continue expanding cooperation in the fields of maritime security, capacity building, humanitarian assistance, natural disaster response and common regional challenges.

General Secretary and President To Lam asked the US to continue to maintain and expand projects on dioxin detoxification, mine clearance, support for people with disabilities in Vietnam, increase technology transfer, and provide information and memorabilia to help search and identify the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

These are not only cooperative activities with profound humanitarian meaning but also evidence of efforts to heal, reconcile and build trust between the two countries.

Acting Minister Hung Cao agreed with the above statement, saying that he was personally born during the war, so more than anyone else understands the pain of war. He said that the achievements that Vietnam and the US have achieved in cooperation to overcome the consequences of war are clear evidence of the spirit of closing the past and looking towards the future between the two countries over the past decades, helping to heal and heal the wounds left by war.

He thanked Vietnam for supporting the US in the search for missing soldiers, and affirmed that the US will continue to maintain a long-term commitment to programs to overcome the consequences of war in Vietnam.

Mr. Hung Cao shared his deep impression of Vietnam’s development and growing international position. He said that as acting Secretary of the US Navy, and as a person of Vietnamese blood, he affirmed that he would continue to support and participate in efforts for the Vietnamese community in the US to stick together and contribute to the peace, self-reliance and development of the country, as well as to Vietnam – US relations.

The General Secretary and President expressed confidence that Vietnam – US relations will continue to develop stably, substantively and effectively, contributing positively to peace, cooperation and development in the Indo-Pacific region.

PP-PF26 is the first time the Pacific Partnership program hosted by the US Navy and the Pacific Friends program hosted by the US Army are jointly implemented within the framework of cooperation with Vietnam.

Activities in the program will bring together officials, engineers, medical experts from the two countries, community leaders and the Vietnamese people to strengthen disaster preparedness capacity, promote cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, and contribute to building a free and open Indo-Pacific region.