US Army, Vietnam launch humanitarian mission via Friendship Program 2025

Running from Sept. 8 to 20, the program features a wide range of activities such as disaster response training, drone application, communications drills, sharing of expertise in explosive ordnance disposal and veterinary medicine, along with training in casualty care and classification, stroke treatment, school dentistry, and military medicine. Medial station construction and repair, as well as English exchanges, are also among the activities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri People's Committee Hoang Nam stressed that the year 2025 holds special significance in Vietnam–U.S. relations as the two countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Quang Tri, once the fiercest battlefield and a symbol of division and sacrifice, now hosts the Pacific Friendship Programme 2025.

He highlighted that more than an annual international cooperation activity, the event delivers a powerful message: from a painful past, both nations are working together to build peace; from shared challenges, they are joining hands to foster development. It also inspires trust and opens up new opportunities for deeper and more sustainable cooperation between the two countries, as well as between Quang Tri and international friends.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper underlined that the initiative reflects the growing strength of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

"We are proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations with Vietnam and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership rooted in mutual respect and shared aspirations. Pacific Friendship is an example of the breadth and depth of our cooperation," he said during the opening ceremony.

He described Pacific Friendship as a continuation of the Pacific Partnership, which since 2007 has linked Vietnam and the U.S. through humanitarian and civil cooperation projects in multiple provinces.

First launched after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the program has been organized annually by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command with the participation of regional governments, armed forces, and humanitarian organizations. From 2025, following a proposal by Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has been renamed Pacific Friendship and is carried out by the U.S. Army.

Since 2007, the United States Department of Defense has contributed more than $39 million towards the construction of critical infrastructure in Vietnam. This includes 44 schools and 28 clinics that also serve as emergency shelters during disasters, 12 bridges, and 12 Disaster Management Coordination Centers across 32 provinces, the U.S. Consulate General HCMC said in a statement.

These projects aim to enhance Vietnam's resilience in natural disaster-prone areas and reinforce our partnership across the country.