Experts from Vietnam & EU discuss how to enhance maritime security cooperation

Maritime security experts from Vietnam and the European Union (EU) participated in a roundtable on Wednesday to discuss pressing challenges in regional and globalmaritime security.

Some 50 participants - comprising military personnel and officials from government agencies including the Navy and the Coast Guard - engaged in peer-to-peer exchange to assess maritime threats in the region, followed by a focus on the protection of sea cables through the lens of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The day-long event was jointly organised by the Institute for Defence International Relations (IDIR) of the Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam, and the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, with the support from the project ESIWA+ (Enhancing the EU's Security Cooperation in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific), which is co-funded by the EU, Germany and France.

Experts exchanged experiences on recent naval operations aimed at safer sea lanes of communication - a vital condition for economic security - and explored ways to enhance EU-Vietnam cooperation in maritime security.

"This roundtable represented a milestone in deepening EU-Vietnam security cooperation, in the context of annual Security and Defence Dialogues," said H.E. Julien Guerrier, European Union Ambassador to Vietnam.

Ambassador Guerrier added that the EU is deeply committed to being a reliable maritime security partner in the region. "EU policies include in particular the EU Action Plan on the Security of Submarine Cables, a robust framework which can serve as a reference for developing joint strategies to bolster the resilience of critical infrastructure and establishing collaborative mechanisms for incident response and information sharing," he said.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Director of IDIR said: "Vietnam welcomes the growing cooperation with the EU on the defence security area, contributing to regional peace, stability and prosperity. This roundtable is a good opportunity for both sides to share their experiences and knowledge on maritime security issues, and makes way for further bilateral cooperation in the framework of ESIWA+."

French Ambassador to Vietnam H.E.Olivier Brochet and German Chargé d'Affaires to Vietnam H.E. Simon Kreye underlinedthat they consider Vietnam a key partner for ensuring a rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific and that ESIWA+ is an opportunity to foster cooperation on this topic. They added that both countries regularly deploy naval assets to contribute to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region - including a German Task Group in 2024 and the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in 2025.

About the EU's ESIWA project:

ESIWA+ (Enhancing the EU's Security Cooperation In and With Asia and the Indo-Pacific) works to enhance cooperation in four thematic areas: counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism, crisis management/addressing hybrid threats, cyber security, and maritime security. ESIWA+ is co-funded by the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), the German Federal Foreign Office, and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. ESIWA+ is co-implemented by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and by Expertise France.

Previous ESIWA activities in Vietnam:

In May 2024, ESIWA organised an EU-Vietnam dialogue on convergences on maritime security, on board the French navy frigate Vendémiaire duringa call in the port of Da Nang.

In June 2024, ESIWA coordinated the launch of the Vietnamese version of the handbook on the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) in Hanoi in cooperation with the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), and the Austrian Ministry of Defence.

In July 2025, a four-day cybersecurity advanced training on maintaining security of information systems and crucial infrastructure was co-organised by IDIR and ESIWA+.

An ESIWA+ expert is permanently deployed in Vietnam to serve as an instructor at the Vietnam's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VNDPKO). The EU project has sponsored six officers from VNDPKO to attend three courses at the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) in Brussels.

ESIWA+ has supported the most recent editions of the South China Sea International Conference organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam by facilitating the participation of EU speakers and the travel of participants in the region.