Vietnamese, British navies conduct joint exercise

Ba Ria-Vung Tau (VNA) – Ship 378 of Brigade 167 under the Naval Region 2 and HMS Spey, the British Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel, conducted a joint exercise on the waters of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on February 11.

The two sides exercised together in terms of mobilising the squad, carrying out procedures for greeting each other at sea and exchanging information, and implementing the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) of the navies of Western Pacific countries.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duc Thien, Captain of Ship 378, said that through the joint exercise at sea, especially the CUES, it will limit interference and avoid accidental collisions, and create favourable conditions for communication when a Vietnamese Navy ship meets a British Royal Navy ship in an unannounced case, thus contributing to enhancing mutual understanding between the two navies.

Earlier from February 7-11, HMS Spey had a five-day friendship visit to Ho Chi Minh City, which took place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK.

It is the fourth vessel that the British Royal Navy has sent to Vietnam in the past five years, demonstrating that the UK is one of the long-term and most reliable partners of Vietnam in maritime security./.