(Bqp.vn) - General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence hosted a welcome ceremony to Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in Hanoi on September 17.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong welcoming Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong and Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan inspecting the Guard of Honor of the VPA.
All delegates in a joint photo.
At the talks, both sides exchanged their views on global and regional developments and shared issues of concern. The Vietnamese general voiced his satisfaction with the progress of bilateral defence cooperation, citing advances in delegation exchanges, navy and air force consultations, naval port calls, professional exchanges, training, and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly ASEAN-led mechanisms and international events hosted by both countries. General Nguyen Tan Cuong stressed ASEAN’s central role in shaping and sustaining the regional security architecture while promoting practical cooperation among member states and with external partners. He also praised the strategic document “ADMM and ADMM-Plus Ready for the Future”, co-drafted by Brunei and Singapore and adopted at the 2024 ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting, as well as the Critical Underwater Infrastructure Security initiative jointly proposed by Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand in 2025.
Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan writing on the Memory book.
Turning to the East Sea issue, General Nguyen Tan Cuong expressed his hope that Brunei will continue to back ASEAN’s common stance of addressing disputes peacefully, in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He highlighted the importance of fully implementing commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalising a substantive, effective Code of Conduct (COC) consistent with international law.
At the talks.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong proposed both sides maintain exchanges at all levels, especially at the high level ones, and cooperation mechanisms such as consultations between armed forces and the Joint Working Group on military and defence cooperation; promote training cooperation; expand collaboration in potential fields such as defence industry, logistics, military medicine, search and rescue, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity; continue close consultations and mutual support in multilateral mechanisms, forums, and international events organised by each side.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong speaking at the talks.
Expressing his delight at meeting General Nguyen Tan Cuong once again, Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan extended his gratitude for the warm reception accorded to the delegation by the Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam and by General Nguyen Tan Cuong personally. He expressed confidence that the delegation’s visit would be a resounding success.
Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan speaking at the talks.
Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan shared his positive impressions of Vietnam as well as of the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022, which he previously attended. He congratulated Vietnam on the successful celebration of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (19 August 1945 - 19 August 2025) and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and expressed admiration for the significant and comprehensive achievements Vietnam has attained over the past 80 years, as well as its increasingly prominent role on the international stage.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong presenting a souvenir to Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan.
Voicing strong agreement with the points raised by General Nguyen Tan Cuong during the talks, Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi Bin Bol Hassan suggested that both sides explore new potential areas of cooperation, thereby contributing to the further promoting bilateral defence relations in the time to come.
