The visit paves the way for French President Francois Hollande’s official visit to Vietnam this year, and furthers co-operation of the two countries on defence issues.
This is French Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian's first official visit to Vietnam in his current post.
Vietnam and France established defence co-operation back in 1991, FRANCE was also the 1st Western European country to assign a defence attaché to Vietnam.
Co-operation on defence between Vietnam and France has significantly extended since 2013, when the two countries raised relations to a strategic partnership.
Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, Director, Foreign Relations Department, Ministry of Defence said: “Co-operation on national defence plays an important role in the Franco-Vietnamese strategic partnership. In the coming time, we’ll foster information and exchanges of delegates, and training forces to join UN peacekeeping forces. France and Vietnam are seeking for more potential in defence co-operation”.
At the meeting, the two defence ministers underlined the role of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Co-operation on National Defence. Both sides agreed to extend the fields of co-operation to ocean research and hydrology, training for army medical units, and to help French firms on accessing the Vietnamese defence market.
Regarding the East Sea issue, French Minister Drian also reiterated that France supported peaceful measures to settle disputes, and respect for international laws.