British Royal Navy ship HMS Richmond docked at Cam Ranh International Port, Khanh Hoa province today, starting its four-day visit to Viet Nam for bilateral cooperation activities.

The ship's presence underlines the UK's commitment to the Indo-Pacific, at the heart of which lies the UK's partnership with Viet Nam, according to statement released by the British Embassy in Hanoi.

Captain Hugh Botterill, HMS Richmond’s Commanding Officer shared his delightfulness joining the trip. “Our role is to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to a persistent and reliable presence in the Indo-Pacific, including crucial regional partners like Viet Nam with whom we have numerous shared interests. These include maritime security, sustainable development, climate change and a desire to see mutual economic growth”, the British captain stressed.

Meanwhile, British Ambassador to Viet Nam, Gareth Ward highlighted that the UK and Viet Nam are both maritime nations and value freedom of navigation, based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“During my term as British Ambassador, this is the 3rd visit by a Royal Navy Ship to Viet Nam. HMS Richmond’s visit reaffirms the UK's Indo-Pacific tilt and our commitment towards expanding defence relationships with key partners in the region”, he noted.

The ambassador mentioned the visit of the UK Defence Secretary to Viet Nam in July, affirming that the two countries will deepen their defence cooperation further. “Later in 2021, we will hold our 4th annual bilateral Defence Policy Dialogue. We recognise the importance of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and the need to contribute to UN peacekeeping for global peace and security,” Gareth said.

Present at the welcome ceremony on 1 October were representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs of Khanh Hoa Province, Navy Region 4, Border Guard, CamRanh International Port and the British Embassy Hanoi. Group Captain Bea Walcot, the UK Defence Attaché to Viet Nam presented the Nha Trang Naval Academy English language training material. This is an activity under the Defence Cooperation Agreement between Viet Nam and the United Kingdom.

This visit of HMS Richmond is part of a broader campaign of the Royal Navy in 2021 for the Indo-Pacific region, which is part of the UK's commitment to peacebuilding, maritime security, and regional prosperity.

There were three other ships coming to Vietnam before HMS Richmond (2021), namely HMS Daring (2013), HMS Albion (2018), and HMS Enterprise (2020). The HMS Richmond is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1993. "She has a crew of 193 officers and can operate in almost any maritime role anywhere in the world and undertake virtually every type of operation imaginable, from counter-narcotics and anti-piracy to disrupting people trafficking and detaining criminals. She is 133 metres long with a displacement of 4812 tonnes", according to the UK Royal Navy.