Pacific Partnership strengthens relationship with Vietnam

Pacific Partnership has returned to Vietnam to make it the first stop in this year’s mission to strengthen enduring relationships and cooperation with partner nations like Vietnam.

Vietnam is the first stop of the 2023 Pacific Partnership. Photos: American Center in Ho Chi Minh City

The view was shared by Rear Adm. Mark A. Melson, Commander, Task Force 73 and Executive Agent for the 2023 Pacific Partnership’s mission, which enables participants, including US and Vietnamese personnel, to work together to enhance disaster response capabilities and foster new and enduring friendships. 

Rear Adm. Mark A. Melson made the statement at the arrival of Pacific Partnership in Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen Province on August 9, the third in this locality, to commence the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. 

Returning to Vietnam for the 12th time, Pacific Partnership, as part of efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation in humanitarian endeavors when Vietnam and the US mark the 10-year anniversary of Comprehensive Partnership this year, shared US Ambassador to Vietnam, Marc E. Knapper. 

“Vietnam’s role as a partner in the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission in the Indo-Pacific underscores the vital importance of our partnership in shaping a brighter, safer, and more resilient future,” said Knapper. 

At the invitation of host nations, the Pacific Partnership’s mission partners conduct tailored humanitarian civic action preparedness activities in areas such as engineering, disaster response, public health, and host nation outreach events.

This year’s mission will feature nearly 1,500 personnel with partner nations from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and the UK. 

While in Phu Yen, Pacific Partnership 2023 will provide tailored medical care focusing on subject-matter exchanges and community education, constructing new buildings for Le Quy Don School, Hoa Hoi Primary School, Tran Phu Primary School and Hoa Dinh Tay Primary School. It also knowledge exchanges with exercises covering disaster response and humanitarian assistance. Additionally, the US Pacific Fleet Band will perform alongside Vietnamese musicians in a variety of community engagements. 

US Navy Capt. Claudine Caluori, Pacific Partnership 2023 Mission Commander speaks at a ceremony in Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen, Vietnam.

US Navy Capt. Claudine Caluori, Pacific Partnership 2023 Mission Commander said: “I look forward to sharing experiences and exchanging expertise so we can collectively build skills that will last well after the mission.”

As part of the 2023 Pacific Partnership, the mission team will conduct missions throughout Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Islands.

Born out of the devastation wrought by the December 2004 tsunami that swept through parts of South and Southeast Asia, Pacific Partnership began as a humanitarian response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters.

At the invitation of Vietnam, mission partners visit and conduct tailored humanitarian civic action preparedness activities in areas such as engineering, disaster response, public health, and Vietnamese outreach events. Additional criteria are taken into consideration, such as Vietnam’s objectives and desires, according to Capt. Claudine Caluori.