Exercises Military Diplomacy

Chinese Navy Ship Formation 83 Concludes Friendly Visit to Vietnam

中国海军83舰编队结束对越南友好访问

PLA Daily (解放军报) 10 July 2026

Summary

Chinese Navy Ship Formation 83 completed a four-day port call at Ho Chi Minh City's Lotus Port, departing July 9 and conducting joint drills with Vietnamese naval vessels covering formation maneuvering, semaphore communication, and naval courtesies before continuing its far-seas comprehensive training and visit mission. The visit documents the operational texture of the PLAN-Vietnam naval relationship: bilateral engagement runs in parallel with unresolved South China Sea territorial disputes, and the joint drills — however limited in scope — extend a pattern of managed mil-to-mil contact that both sides use to compartmentalize friction at sea from diplomatic and naval-to-naval channels.

Translation

Chinese Navy Ship Formation 83 Concludes Friendly Visit to Vietnam

PLA Daily, Ho Chi Minh City, July 9 — Reported by Zheng Hongsheng and correspondent Xu Lin: Chinese Navy Ship Formation 83 concluded its four-day friendly visit to Vietnam on the morning of the 9th, departing from the Lotus Port wharf in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to continue executing its far-seas comprehensive training and visit mission (远海综合实习访问任务).

At approximately 10:00 a.m., the Vietnamese side held a send-off ceremony at Lotus Port wharf. Staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, representatives of local overseas Chinese, Chinese-funded institutions, and Chinese students, as well as representatives of Vietnamese naval officers and sailors, came to the wharf to see the formation off. After departing port, the formation conducted joint training with Vietnamese naval vessels in nearby waters, covering subjects including formation maneuvering, semaphore communication, and naval courtesies.

During the visit, Ship Formation 83 organized representatives of officers and sailors to lay flowers before the statue of Ho Chi Minh and to visit and exchange with the Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and held activities including a ship open day and a friendly football match. This visit is a concrete manifestation of the deepening cooperation between the navies of China and Vietnam in areas such as mutual ship visits and joint patrols, and plays a positive role in enhancing mutual trust between the two countries and maintaining regional stability.

Original Chinese

中国海军83舰编队结束对越南友好访问解放军报胡志明市7月9日电郑洪胜、记者徐琳报道：中国海军83舰编队9日上午结束对越南为期4天的友好访问，从越南胡志明市莲花港码头起航，继续执行远海综合实习访问任务。上午10时许，越方在莲花港码头举行欢送仪式，中国驻胡志明市总领馆工作人员，当地华人华侨、中资机构、留学生代表，以及越南海军官兵代表到码头送行。离港后，编队同越南海军舰艇在附近海域开展了编队运动、手旗通信和舰艇礼仪等科目联合训练。访问期间，83舰编队组织官兵代表向胡志明雕像敬献鲜花、赴胡志明人文社科大学参观交流，并举行舰艇开放、足球友谊赛等活动。此次访问是中越两国海军在舰艇互访、联合巡逻等领域深化合作的具体体现，为增进两国互信、维护地区稳定发挥积极作用。