President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday touted the continuing progress in the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Vietnam

“This is actually a very significant point in the history between our countries between Vietnam and [the] Philippines,” Marcos said when he welcomed Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, General Phan Van Giang, in a courtesy call in Malacañan Palace. 

Marcos also mentioned both countries' diplomatic connections, especially their mutual defense cooperation, security cooperation, maritime cooperation, and trade partnership.  

“The Philippines and Vietnam have enjoyed good relations and we have continued to progress in those relationships,” Marcos told Giang, as he looked into further deepening the range of relationships between both countries. 

For his part, Giang conveyed the “greetings and best wishes” from the Vietnam leaders—General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man—to the Philippines. 

“From our side, we highly value and appreciate the State Visit to Vietnam back in January 2024 and that visit opened up new opportunities to further promote and innovate the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Philippines in various areas that you just mentioned,” he said. 

Giang mentioned the “very good relations”—particularly the maritime engagements—between the two countries’ naval forces and coast guards.

The crew of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) onboard their respective ships, recently participated in a joint maritime exercise as part of VGS’s four-day port call, fostering mutual understanding and enhanced cooperation between both countries. 

Among the activities that were conducted during the port include search and rescue (SAR); fire and explosion prevention training; and passing exercises in the vicinity of Manila Bay. 

On 30 January, the PCG and VCG formally signed the memorandum of understanding on maritime cooperation that strengthens their understanding, mutual trust, and confidence. 

Under the MOU, both coast guards agreed to develop a Joint Coast Guard Committee (JCGC) to open common issues and interest discussions as well as establish a hotline communication mechanism.