Vietnam
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Oceania
Australia-Vietnam defense training reflects expanding partnership
FORUM Staff The largest-ever contingent of Vietnamese military personnel training with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Sailors for at-sea combat survivability exemplifies the nations’ expanding defense relations. Seventeen Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) members visited HMAS Cerberus Naval Base in Victoria, Australia, in March 2025 to enhance ship-based firefighting, leak-stop repair, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense skills. Linguists and interpreters…
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Across The Region
Philippines, Vietnam boost military ties amid South China Sea tensions
The Philippines and Vietnam will advance defense and military relations and deepen collaboration on maritime security, a significant step by two countries concerned over Beijing’s assertive actions in the South China Sea. Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang held talks with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro during his August 2024 visit to Manila, where he also met with Philippine…
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Partnerships
Thailand, Vietnam deepen defense ties to tackle shared security challenges
Felix Kim The sixth Thailand-Vietnam Defense Policy Dialogue, held in Bangkok in March 2025, highlighted a strategic relationship that has matured from Cold War-era border skirmishes to a cooperative partnership. The summit co-chairs — Gen. Sanitchanog Sangkachantra, Thailand’s permanent defense secretary, and Senior Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, Vietnam’s deputy defense minister — emphasized the nations’ cooperation on regional and…
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Partnerships
Indonesia-Vietnam EEZ deal upholds international law, sends message to China
FORUM Staff Indonesian and Vietnamese leaders said their countries expect to formally agree in 2025 on exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundaries. The move not only settles a long-standing debate on the countries’ overlapping maritime territories, but it also presents a united front to oppose China’s expansive and illegal claims on the South China Sea. The boundaries on which Hanoi and…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
China’s patrols, aggression fail to intimidate South China Sea claimant nations
FORUM Staff South China Sea nations have not succumbed to Beijing’s increasingly persistent efforts to undermine their lawful maritime territorial claims. Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) threats and aggressive moves, fishing, security patrols and offshore exploration continued in 2024. That’s the conclusion of an analysis of Global Positioning System-based ship-tracking information that detects vessel movements globally. The Center for…
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Conflicts - Tensions
China primary cause of marine habitat damage in South China Sea, report says
FORUM Staff China’s artificial-island building accounts for about two-thirds of the damage to marine habitats in the South China Sea stemming from dredge-and-fill construction, researchers say. China has buried more than 4,600 acres (about 19 square kilometers) of coral reef since 2013, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) reported in January 2025. The group, part of the United States-based think…
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Partnerships
Multinational course bolsters security cooperation among Indonesia, Philippines, U.S., Vietnam
FORUM Staff Coast Guard, law enforcement and fisheries personnel from Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States and Vietnam strengthened cooperation in mid-January 2025 with maritime security training. The U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funded the two-week course on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It included instructors from the Philippine and U.S. Coast Guards, and Vietnam’s…
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Contemplations
Aquafarming Now Main Global Source for Fish, U.N. Food Agency Says
REUTERS | Photos by AFP/Getty Images For the first time, farmed aquatic production has exceeded the catch from traditional fisheries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in mid-2024, underscoring hopes that aquaculture can meet growing global demand for seafood. In its latest biennial report on the state of world fisheries, the Rome-based FAO said global fisheries and…
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Global Commons
Weapons expo helps Vietnam boost domestic defense industry, reduce reliance on Russian arms
Reuters Vietnam showcased locally made weapons at an international defense fair in Hanoi as it seeks to boost its arms industry and lessen its reliance on Russian military equipment. Top defense companies from Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific were among the nearly 250 exhibitors at the mid-December 2024 fair at Gia Lam Airport. Vietnam’s National Defence Ministry holds…
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Partnerships
U.S. providing aircraft, boats to help Vietnam counter illegal fishing, enhance defenses
Reuters The United States will provide $12.5 million to Vietnam to enhance its maritime law enforcement capabilities and combat illegal fishing, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said. The assistance includes support for Vietnamese maritime law enforcement agencies, the donation of small boats and development of training facilities. Vietnam is among several Southeast Asian nations that have accused People’s Republic of…
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