US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Giang in a phone talk on February 7 that the US values its cooperation with Vietnam and seeks to promote efforts to alleviate the war aftermath.

General Phan Van Giang, Defense Minister, at the phone talk. Photo: QDND

During the phone call, the US Defense Chief reiterated that the Trump administration highly values and appreciates its cooperation with Vietnam. The US aims to further strengthen Vietnam-US relations in the coming period, including bilateral defense cooperation, while pushing forward agreed-upon initiatives, with a key focus on war aftermath remediation.

Minister General Phan Van Giang stated that Vietnam considers the US one of its top strategic partners. He reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to an independent and self-reliant foreign policy, promoting diversification and multilateralization, proactively engaging in international integration, and being a reliable partner and responsible member of the global community.

He said that cooperation in war aftermath remediation has been a high point of bilateral defense relations.

According to Giang, the US commitment to mobilizing resources for dioxin clean-up at Bien Hoa Airport, supporting people with disabilities, addressing unexploded ordnance, locating and identifying the remains of Vietnamese soldiers, and cooperating in the search for missing US servicemen is significant in moving beyond the past and looking to the future.

He expressed his hope that the two defense ministries would continue to have high-level exchanges, maintain existing consultation and dialogue mechanisms, and soon convene the 13th Defense Policy Dialogue in Vietnam.