Vietnam PM eyes expansion of defence cooperation, U.S. offers to play role

U.S. military gear is displayed at the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024, in Hanoi, Vietnam, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Khanh Vu

(Reuters) -Vietnam wants to expand its international defence cooperation to build trust and prevent wars, its prime minister said on Thursday, and the United States said it was hopeful its defence industry could play a key role.

In remarks to open Vietnam's second international arms fair, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the expo was "a message of peace, cooperation and development".

The arms fair, which will run until Sunday, is being held at Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, with nearly 250 exhibitors from dozens of countries, including the United States, China, Russia, Britain, Iran and Israel.

Chinh said Vietnam would maintain its "four no" policy of not participating in military alliances, not aligning with one country to oppose another, not allowing foreign military bases or the use of its territory against another country, and not using force or the threat of it in international relations.

On the sidelines of the expo, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said U.S. defence firms could team up with Vietnamese counterparts in multiple areas, including joint production and technology transfers.

"We seek to have our great defence companies working here with Vietnam on things potentially like joint production and technological transfers," he told a press conference, together with senior U.S. defence and military officials.

"Our goal is to ensure that Vietnam has what it needs to defend its interests at sea, in the air, on the ground and in cyberspace," he said.

Vietnam is a major importer of weapons, especially from Russia, having invested for years in its defence capabilities in an unstable region where it has clashed with China over boundaries in the South China Sea.

The U.S. briefing was conducted next to a Lockheed Martin C-130 displayed at the expo. Boeing and Textron Aviation Defense are also present at the Hanoi expo.

Sources have told Reuters that Lockheed Martin is in talks with Vietnam for a possible deal on the military transport plane.

At the briefing, Jedidiah Royal, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, also said the U.S. policy for the region would not change when a new administration takes over in Washington next year.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu; Editing by Martin Petty and John Mair)