On Wednesday, the French naval cruiser Le Vendémiaire (F734), carrying over 90 officers and crew members, docked at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port to begin an official 5-day visit to the city.

The ship's Commanding Officer, Lt Col Damiel Lopez, said that this is the second visit by this ship to Da Nang.  The aim is to foster bilateral traditional and friendly relations between the 2 countries, with a focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation between Vietnamese and French naval forces.

The French guests were warmly welcomed by leaders from the Zone 3 Naval High Command, the Viet Nam People’s Navy High Command, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, the Military Zone 5 High Command, the municipal Border Guard High Command, the city’s Military Command, and the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs.  Also in attendance at the welcoming ceremony were the French Naval Attaché to Viet Nam, Lt Col Christophe Talon, and representatives from the French Embassy in Viet Nam.

The French cruiser Le Vendémiaire (F734)

During their stay in the city, the ship's commander is scheduled to pay courtesy visits to leaders of the municipal People’s Committee, and the High Commands of Military Zone 5 and Naval Zone 3.

In addition, the French naval force will play a friendly volleyball match against their colleagues from the Zone 3 Naval High Command. 

Exchange sessions will also be held for the Vietnamese and French naval officers and men in order to share their mutual experiences of marine activities.  

Furthermore, the French guests will join with the Vietnamese navy to practise search and rescue training activities at sea and anti-smuggling skills, as well as discuss effective ways to protect and monitor their fishing grounds and ensure close contact between ships via their barcode labels.

The welcoming ceremony for French naval officers and crew members

The 93.5m-long and 14m-wide Le Vendémiaire, which weighs 2,950 tonnes, mainly patrols the French seas and carries out humanitarian and evacuation missions when needed.  It is equipped with a helicopter and many modern military weapons including 2 Exocet missiles and a 100mm artillery gun, plus 2 20mm F2 and 4 12.7mm machine guns.