Vietnam, US seek to promote cooperation in aviation security

Welcoming Administrator David Pekoske and his entourage to Vietnam, Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang stated that the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam had established relations with a number of US federal executive departments such as the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.

In the field of aviation security, the Ministry of Public Security in coordination with the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam has allowed and created favorable conditions for US aviation security officers to work on the US flights to Tan Son Nhat International Airport since 2005. Currently, the two sides are stepping up negotiations to clinch an agreement on aviation security officers between the two countries, creating a legal basis for further cooperation in this field.

To further enhance cooperation in aviation security, Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang suggested that the two sides should promote the negotiation and sign the agreement in 2024, contributing to promoting the bilateral relationship between the two agencies to a higher level, in accordance with the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang also recommended that the US Transportation Security Administration exchange delegations with the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam to share information and practical experience in countering aviation terrorism, and in the long run, the two sides should establish a mechanism to exchange and jointly process information on suspicious signs of crime as well as propose approaches to prevent terrorism in the aviation sector.

Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang also suggested that the two sides draft a MOU on aviation security cooperation between the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the Transportation Security Administration under the US Department of Homeland Security, so as to ensure safety and security for commercial flights between the two countries.

Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang wished that the US Transportation Security Administration would regularly exchange with Vietnamese partners practical experience in monitoring and checking people, vehicles, luggage, and goods transported by air, and denying criminals from taking advantages of aviation services to traffic drugs, weapons, explosives or illegal goods.

The host also wished that the US side would assist the Vietnamese side with systems and devices to monitor and suppress UAV.

Sincerely thanking Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang for the meeting, Administrator David Pekoske underlined that the bilateral relationship between the US and Vietnam has been increasingly developed in all fields, and pledged that he will continue to make his part to promoting the relationship between Vietnam and the US in general, and cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the US partners in particular in the coming time.