The dialogue was co-chaired by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, and Mr. Hugh Jeffrey, Australia's Deputy Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Policy and Industry, at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang highlighted the strong growth of bilateral relations across multiple fields, particularly following the elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024. He also praised the progress made in defense cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides have effectively expanded collaboration through high-level exchanges and contacts at various levels, policy dialogue and consultation mechanisms, military training, United Nations peacekeeping operations, cooperation between military services and branches, defense industry, war legacy remediation, military medicine, and search and rescue operations.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang expressed his appreciation for Australia's Ministry of Defense for providing logistical support for the eighth consecutive time to transport Vietnam's Level-2 Field Hospital to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
He called on both sides to continue implementing agreements and shared understandings reached by their senior leaders and defense ministries, as reflected in the Joint Statement on Deepening the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the updated Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation, signed in August 2026.
Priority areas include exchanges of delegations, policy consultations, training, UN peacekeeping, war legacy remediation, cooperation between military services, military medicine and border management.
The two countries will also explore opportunities to expand cooperation into other areas, including defense industry, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, science and technology, and innovation. Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang also emphasized the importance of mutual consultation and support at regional and international defense and security forums, particularly ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).
Vietnam also hopes to continue receiving scholarships from Australia's Ministry of Defense for Vietnamese military personnel at various levels of education and training. In return, Vietnam is ready to host Australian military trainees for Vietnamese-language courses and an international defense officials training program.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang also welcomed a delegation from the Australian Army to attend the third Vietnam International Defense Expo, scheduled to take place in Hanoi this December.
Mr. Hugh Jeffrey described the ninth dialogue as an opportunity to further deepen bilateral defense relations. He called for continued coordination to implement existing agreements and explore new areas of cooperation based on the needs and interests of both countries, contributing to a more substantive and effective Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
He also reaffirmed Australia's commitment to advancing information and document sharing related to Vietnamese military personnel and supporting Vietnam in strengthening its DNA testing capabilities to identify the remains of fallen soldiers.
The assistance will contribute to Vietnam's ongoing 500-day campaign to intensify the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains.
During the dialogue, the two delegations also exchanged views on regional and international developments and other issues of mutual concern.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang reiterated Vietnam's consistent position that maritime disputes must be resolved through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He also stressed the need to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and work toward a substantive, effective, and enforceable Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
The dialogue concluded with the signing of its official minutes by the two delegation leaders.
