Hanoi, Dec. 11 -- Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Admiral Saito Akira, Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), have agreed to further elevate naval cooperation between the two countries in the time to come.

The officials reached the agreement at their meeting in Hanoi on December 11, where the two sides voiced their hope to deepen the relationship between the JMSDF and the Vietnam People's Navy.

Cuong emphasised that the Vietnam - Japan defence cooperation has been expanded continuously and become increasingly substantive, serving as an important pillar of the bilateral relations, with prominent areas of collaborati...