Vietnamese Navy and JMSDF conduct Naval Exercise.

The Vietnamese People's Navy (VPN) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) held a joint naval exercise off the Southeastern coast of Vietnam on June 17, according to a JMSDF official statement.

(Picture Source: JMSDF)

This joint exercise involved tactical manoeuvres, search-and-rescue (SAR) drills, and communication training. The JMSDF dubbed the bilateral engagement as "goodwill exercise". The aim of this joint exercise was to improve the tactical skills of both navies and to strengthen the bilateral partnership, according to the JMSDF.

The exercise, which was held off the strategically important Cam Ranh International Port, home to a naval maintenance and logistics facility, involved a VPN missile corvette (pennant number 381) and the first-of-class flattop JS Izumo and the Murasame-class destroyer JS Murasame.

The visit and bilateral naval exercise highlight the deepening military links between Japan and Vietnam as part of their so-called extensive strategic partnership, which is largely driven by China’s growing military power and increased assertiveness in the region. China’s continued militarization of the South China Sea is of particular concern to Vietnam, as it is locked in a maritime dispute with Beijing.

The Japanese flotilla also conducted a naval exercise with the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea from June 10 to 12. However, the JMSDF has not joined the U.S. Navy or other allied navies in conducting freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in the contested waters to challenge Chinese territorial claims.