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Australia and Vietnam have collaborated on naval exercises in the South China Sea, reflecting each nation’s commitment to peace and stability in the region.
Following a port visit to Da Nang in central Vietnam, HMAS Toowoomba engaged in strategic, cooperative training with the Vietnam People’s Navy.
HMAS Toowoomba and Ship 275, a TT-400TP gunboat, practiced search and rescue, man overboard and officer of the watch drills.
On the joint training, Toowoomba officer of the watch Lieutenant Max Pappin said the engagement enabled him to learn about the different ways in which naval forces around the world operate.
“It has been an extremely rewarding experience to work in a company, not only with the Vietnam People’s Navy but a new class of vessel I haven’t worked with before.
“Seeing how the Vietnam People’s Navy designed the ship and what it can do really provided us with some insight into the priorities when operating in Vietnam’s coastal environment.”
More than learning skills from allies, exercises and engagements like these are important in maintaining peace, stability and security within the Indo-Pacific and fragile South China Sea region.
Commander Alicia Harrison noted that working with Vietnam is critical for overall defence cooperation, saying, “It’s important that our militaries work more closely together to effectively transfer skills and build interoperability, reinforcing our shared commitment to peace, stability and respect for international law at sea.”
The Vietnam People’s Navy has also recently supported Australia in the Australian Defence Force’s multinational Exercise Kakadu.
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