The MoU was signed following talks held in Hanoi on June 30, co-chaired by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, and Lieutenant General Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Defence.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Thang said defence cooperation between Vietnam and the UAE had developed positively in recent years, building on the strong relationship between the two governments and the Comprehensive Partnership established by the two countries.

He noted that senior leaders of both countries had agreed to strengthen defence cooperation, including collaboration in the defense industry.

The Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister also thanked the UAE Ministry of Defence and relevant agencies for supporting the operations of the representative office of Viettel Group in the UAE, expressing hope that the office would continue to receive favourable conditions to enhance bilateral cooperation.

To deepen practical defence cooperation, Thang proposed that both sides increase exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level visits, while studying the establishment of a regular defence dialogue and consultation mechanism and resident defence attaché offices in each country.

He also suggested expanding cooperation in defence industry, United Nations peacekeeping, military medicine, logistics, non-traditional security, high-quality human resource training, and continued coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international defence events hosted by either country.

The Vietnamese Deputy Minister also invited leaders of the UAE Ministry of Defence and defence industry enterprises to attend the third Vietnam International Defence Expo, scheduled to take place in December 2026.

For his part, Lieut. Gen. Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi described his visit to Vietnam as an important opportunity to expand bilateral defence cooperation.

He said the Vietnam–UAE Comprehensive Partnership had achieved positive results across various sectors, while noting that defence remained an area with significant untapped potential.

The UAE, he said, looks forward to effectively implementing the agreed areas of cooperation and exploring new opportunities based on the needs and interests of both countries, thereby strengthening the Comprehensive Partnership and contributing to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.

Vietnam, UAE seek to deepen defence cooperation

Vietnamese Government, Ministry of National Defence always attach importance to enhancing friendship and expanding cooperation with their UAE counterparts, for the legitimate interests of the two peoples as well as for peace, stability, cooperation, development in each nation, the region and the world.