French naval ship visits central Vietnam

The French amphibious assault ship Tonnerre on Monday docked at Cam Ranh international seaport in Vietnam's south central coastal Khanh Hoa province, some 1,040 km south of capital Hanoi, starting a friendship visit to Vietnam.

This is the second visit by Tonnerre to Vietnam, after the first to the country's southern Ho Chi Minh City in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of establishing Vietnam-France diplomatic ties, reported Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army), an online newspaper of Vietnam's Ministry of Defense.

The visit is among activities to implement agreements reached between leaders of Vietnam and France over the past time, contributing to enhancing cooperation between two countries' armed forces and two navies, according to Quan Doi Nhan Dan.

During the visit which is scheduled to last till Friday, commanders of the French ship will pay courtesy calls on leaders of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, Khanh Hoa Provincial Military Command, the High Command of the Naval Region 4, and Vietnam Academy of Navy.

It is expected that after leaving Cam Ranh seaport, two countries' navies will conduct a search and rescue exercise, as well as practice for the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea. Endit