Canadian warship pays goodwill visit to Vietnam

By Quoc Thang, Tan Nguyen   October 18, 2016 | 01:51 am PT
Canadian warship pays goodwill visit to Vietnam
Halifax-class frigate HCMS Vancouver of Royal Canadian Navy arrives at Saigon Port, HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang
The two navies will be discussing defense ties during the frigate's visit.

The Canadian Navy's HMCS Vancouver docked at Saigon Port in Ho Chi Minh City today to conduct a goodwill visit as part of WESTPLOY 16.

WESTPLOY16 part of the frigate's deployment aimed at building stronger ties between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and navies in Asia-Pacific countries, while also promoting peace and security in the region, said a statement from the RCN.

Commodore Jeff Zwick, commander of Canada’s Pacific Fleet, confirmed that talks will be held on national defense between Canada and Vietnam during the visit. After that, the ship will continue on to several other countries in the Asia-Pacific region before returning to Esquimalt, British Columbia, at the end of the year.

canadian-warship-pays-goodwill-visit-to-vietnam

Vietnam People's Navy officers welcome their Canadian guests. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang

Since its departure from Esquimalt in June, the Canadian Halifax-class frigate has operated extensively throughout the Pacific region, and participated in international maritime exercises such as RIMPAC and KAKADU.

KAKADU, held through September 12-24, 2016, is a joint, biennial exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy and supported by the Royal Australian Air Force, with 20 nations participating, including Vietnam.

Vietnam has frequently welcomed warships from other countries, including the U.S., Japan, India, Australia and France. Earlier this month, the guided missile destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, arrived in Vietnam following its first visit in 2014 for naval exercises, seeking to reinforce military ties.

In April, two Japanese guided-missile destroyers made port at Cam Ranh Bay Port, Vietnam’s new international port. In July, the coast guard ship Kojima also arrived in Da Nang for a five-day visit.

Prior to the trip of President Francois Hollande in September, France also sent its amphibious assault ship the Tonnerre to Cam Ranh Bay on a friendly visit.

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