Chinese Navy ships visit Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam again after 9 years

[Global Times Report, Journalists Guo Yuandan and Liang Rui] The Chinese Navy's 83rd fleet, which is on a comprehensive training and visiting mission, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on the 5th, beginning a four-day friendly visit to Vietnam. This marks the first visit by Chinese naval vessels to this city in nine years.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense recently announced that, at the invitation of the Vietnamese Navy, the naval vessels Qi Jiguang and Kunlunshan formed a fleet to visit Ho Chi Minh City. During the visit, the Qi Jiguang will hold ship open activities, and the fleet personnel will visit Vietnamese naval forces and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City for discussions, as well as participate in friendly sports matches.

"The composition of the naval fleet—Qi Jiguang (a large training ship) and Kunlunshan (a dock landing ship)—demonstrates China's goodwill. Against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, China is willing to make efforts to reduce instability in the region and is ready to work with all parties to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea," military expert Wang Yunfei stated to the Global Times on the 6th.

According to the introduction, compared to combat vessels such as destroyers and frigates, training ships and dock landing ships have a milder visual impact and operational focus. Although dock landing ships are combat vessels, they can perform non-war military tasks such as disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and peaceful exchanges. In addition, the 83rd fleet is carrying a large number of naval academy cadets on this visit. Wang Yunfei analyzed that this helps promote understanding and friendship between the younger generations of China and Vietnam.

In recent years, the navies of China and Vietnam have deepened cooperation in areas such as ship visits and joint patrols, playing a positive role in enhancing mutual trust between the two countries and maintaining regional stability.

In November 2025, the Chinese Navy's 989 fleet, consisting of the Changbai Mountain, Zheng He, and "Forward 1" vessels, arrived at Cam Ranh Port in Vietnam for a four-day friendly visit. On December 1 of the same year, the Vietnamese Navy's "Tran Hung Dao" missile frigate visited Qingdao for exchange activities. In mid-March of this year, the tenth border defense friendly exchange activity between China and Vietnam was held. During this period, the naval fleets of China and Vietnam conducted their 40th joint patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin and carried out joint training on topics such as fleet movement, joint escort, anti-piracy operations, and joint search and rescue.