Brunei patrol vessel docks in central Vietnam

The first ever Royal Brunei Navy vessel to dock in Da Nang carries 74 officers and naval cadets led by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Azrin Bin Haji Mahmud.

During their two-day stay in the central city, the Brunei naval delegation will meet with peers in Vietnam’s Naval Region 3 Command, which is in charge of ensuring peace and stability in the waters off Vietnam's north-central coast, including the Paracel Islands and engage in friendly sporting events with Vietnamese naval personnel.

KDB Daruttaqwa stretches 80 meters long and has a loading capacity of nearly 1,500 tons.

It set sail on September 20 to participate in a number of maritime exercises and engagements scheduled at various locations around the regions of Southeast Asia and East Asia, particularly in China, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam.

The deployment is part of Royal Brunei Navy’s participation in both bilateral and multilateral platforms, beginning with Maritime Training Activity Seagull hosted by Philippine Navy in Bacolod, the Philippines, on September 23 – 29.

After the port visit in Da Nang, it will proceed to Jeju Island, South Korea, for the International Fleet Review on October 9 – 15 before sailing to Zhanjiang, China to participate in the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise 2018 on October 22 – 28. Vietnam will also attend the two events.

Vietnam has received a series of foreign naval ships in the past month.

South Korean destroyer ROKS Moon Mu the Great (DDH-976) docked in Da Nang on September 11 and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force vessel Kuroshio arrived at the Cam Ranh Port a week later.

Canadian ship HMCS Calgary came to Da Nang on September 26, and Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana arrived in Saigon the same day. Indian destroyer INS Rana docked in Saigon a day later.