Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Vietnam Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang signed two key agreements that will strengthen the two countries’ collaboration on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and military medicine.

Teodoro and Giang signed the Letters of Intent (LOIs) on the enhancement of cooperation in the field of HADR at sea and military medicine during their bilateral meeting in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Friday, Aug. 30.

The letter of intent is a written, nonbinding document that outlines an agreement in principle between two or more parties before a legal agreement is finalized.

The LOI on HADR at Sea reflects the intention of the Philippines and Vietnam to strengthen the work to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and other increasingly complex security challenges at sea, and emphasizes the major role of navies in this regard.

Meanwhile, the LOI on Military Medicine acknowledges the role of militaries in cross-border public health surveillance and prevention of disease outbreaks, and thereby manifests the interest of both countries to enhance relevant capabilities through joint research and innovations, as well as sharing of knowledge and best practices.

In his speech, Teodoro said that he and Giang had “extensive and candid discussions” on regional issues and global issues affecting the region.

The Philippines and Vietnam agreed to cooperate to work on their differences due to their overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, and amid an increased aggression of China in the tense waters.

“Once again, we reiterate the alliance between the Philippines and Vietnam is strong. We do have issues between bilateral issues amongst our countries, but this does not stop us from working together (in) peacefully and fairly under the aegis of international law resolving these issues,” Teodoro said.

“While we face common threats, we will work together in facing these threats in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity,” he added.

The two defense chiefs also agreed to sign a memorandum on defense cooperation “within this year.”

Teodoro said this could be signed in time for the celebration of the 80^th founding anniversary of the Vietnamese Armed Forces in December.

Meanwhile, Giang said that his bilateral meeting with Teodoro was “open, frank, sincere.

“Vietnam and the Philippines are two neighboring countries sharing a maritime border and are both active and responsible members of the ASEAN community,” he said.

The diplomatic ties between Manila and Hanoi were officially established in 1976 and since then, Giang said it “have continuously developed” including in the fields of politics, economics, defense, security, people-to-people exchange.

Giang’s visit marked his first ever visit to the Philippines since his appointment as the Minister of National Defence of Vietnam on April 8, 2021.

It also served as a follow-on to the meeting between Teodoro and Giang on the sidelines of the 17th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) held in November 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia, where both sides underscored the importance of further strengthening bilateral defense partnership between the Philippines and Viet Nam through high-level exchange visits.