HANOI, Vietnam – Representatives with Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) INDO PACIFIC accompanied Office of Naval Research (ONR) leadership on a visit with several research partners from November 18-19 to support and further collaboration efforts between the U.S. and Vietnam.
Lt. Cmdr. Jose Garcia, NAMRU INDO PACIFIC’s Vietnam detachment director, and Capt. Robert Carpenter provided their expertise in Navy Medicine Research and Development’s (NMR&D) capabilities to Rear. Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, the ONR chief of Naval Research, for multiple meetings with Vietnamese partners, including researchers and government, military and academia representatives.
“Working closely with Vietnamese government and academic partners has been of tremendous value," said Garcia. "These meetings underscore the value of collaboration in Navy Research and Development, where shared expertise helps address pressing health and security challenges in the region.”
U.S. visitors met with the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Military Sciences, among others. MOST representatives presented on areas of research interest, and Discussions with the Department of Military Sciences led to scheduling future meetings to explore research collaboration opportunities between the U.S. and Vietnam.
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC also facilitated meetings with Hanoi University of Sciences and Technology and VinUniversity. Discussions with academic partners involved talks on future research opportunities of interest to both nations.
The growing collaboration between the U.S. and Vietnam in military medicine is intended to benefit both nations' armed forces and contribute to regional stability and global health initiatives.
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC conducts research in cooperation with host nations in Australia, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to improve global health, ensure military force health protection, and address infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever virus and gastro-intestinal pathogens.