Vietnam-Indonesia: Strengthening comprehensive defense cooperation
WVR - On the morning of September 18, the 4th Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue took place in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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| Delegates attending the 4th Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue take a group photo. (Photo: Ministry of National Defense) |
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense, and Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo, Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, co-chaired the Dialogue.
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien emphasized that 2025 is a significant year for the relations between the two countries. Vietnam and Indonesia are gearing up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations (December 30, 1955 - December 30, 2025). Notably, in March 2025, Vietnam and Indonesia upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during General Secretary To Lam's state visit to Indonesia. This marks an important milestone, opening up new, potential areas of cooperation that align with the needs and strengths of both sides.
In recent times, both sides have effectively implemented cooperative relations, especially following the 3rd Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue (October 2023), achieving notable results such as exchanging delegations at all levels, maintaining effective consultation and dialogue mechanisms, and cooperating in training and among military branches.
The leadership of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense highly appreciates Indonesia's decision to send Navy and Coast Guard ships to visit Vietnam in 2024. Cooperation in other areas has also yielded positive results, such as defense industry collaboration and mutual support at forums and multilateral mechanisms. Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien congratulated Indonesia on successfully organizing major events in 2025, such as the Komodo Exercise and the 10th Indonesia Defense Exhibition.
Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo emphasized the comprehensive cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam, with defense cooperation being one of the pillars. He affirmed that Indonesia values the 4th Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue, the 6th joint working group meeting on military and defense cooperation, and the 4th joint working group meeting on defense industry cooperation between the two sides. Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo committed to making efforts to promote bilateral defense cooperation in line with the great potential of both countries.
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| Vietnam and Indonesia actively promote cooperation in potential fields such as logistics, military medicine, search and rescue, and UN peacekeeping. (Photo provided by the Ministry of Defense) |
Regarding future cooperation directions, both sides will continue to enhance comprehensive, practical cooperation, focusing on exchanging delegations at all levels, high-level meetings, and consultations to share strategic issues and guide increasingly reliable, extensive, and substantive defense cooperation.
Both sides should effectively utilize existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Defense Policy Dialogue and consultations among military branches. They should continue to prioritize training cooperation and maintain substantive, effective collaboration among military branches, especially among maritime law enforcement forces through activities like information exchange, situation sharing, young officer exchanges, courtesy ship visits, and cooperation in addressing non-traditional security challenges and defense industry.
Vietnam and Indonesia actively promote cooperation in potential areas such as logistics, military medicine, search and rescue, and UN peacekeeping. They continue to consult closely and support each other at multilateral mechanisms and forums, especially the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus.
At the Dialogue, both sides also shared views on regional issues of mutual concern, appreciated ASEAN's role and ASEAN-led mechanisms, and affirmed their joint efforts to contribute positively to strengthening ASEAN unity and centrality in the regional security architecture. Both sides emphasized the importance of ensuring freedom, security, and safety of navigation and overflight in the East Sea. They stressed the need to promote commitments and implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and expedite the conclusion and signing of a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
At the end of the dialogue, both sides signed the memorandum of the 4th Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue.
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| Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense, and Lieutenant General Donny Ermawan, Deputy Minister of Defense of Indonesia. (Photo: Ministry of National Defense) |
On the same day, at the headquarters of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense, met with Lieutenant General Donny Ermawan, Deputy Minister of Defense of Indonesia.
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien emphasized that Vietnam and Indonesia are neighbouring countries sharing a maritime border with many common interests. He expressed his delight at the comprehensive, reliable, and substantive development of bilateral relations since the two countries established diplomatic relations 70 years ago. Notably, the upgrade of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025 marks a historic milestone in bilateral relations, demonstrating the political determination of both sides to make cooperation increasingly reliable, substantive, and effective, with defense and security cooperation being one of the important pillars of the Vietnam-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Lieutenant General Donny Ermawan expressed his pleasure in welcoming Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien to Indonesia, co-chairing the 4th Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue, and highly appreciated the defense cooperation results between the two sides in recent years. He also noted that the development of Vietnam-Indonesia friendship provides favourable conditions to promote cooperation in various fields, including defense.
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien reported on the results of the recently concluded 4th Vietnam-Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue, where both sides agreed on many important contents in defense cooperation between the two countries.
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien expressed his hope that the Deputy Minister would pay attention, support, and promote the implementation of cooperative relations between the two countries, including promoting defense industry cooperation. The maritime law enforcement forces of both countries should continue to enhance cooperative exchanges, share information and situations, and effectively coordinate in addressing emerging maritime issues. They should also coordinate humane treatment of fishermen from each country violating each other's maritime zones.
The Deputy Minister of Defense of Indonesia agreed to make Vietnam-Indonesia defense cooperation more substantive, emphasizing cooperation among naval, air force, and coast guard branches, as well as training cooperation. In particular, maritime security cooperation, support for fishermen, and search and rescue at sea between the two sides should be prioritized and promoted in the future.
