The Forbin D620, a Horizon-class frigate, has 29 officers and 170 non-commissioned officers and soldiers on board.

During the frigate’s week-long visit, the crew will engage in exchanges as well as practice sessions with the Vietnamese navy, and go sight-seeing, said Thomas Frioli, the ship's commanding officer.

The visit is part of a bilateral military cooperation program, which seeks to boost the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Colonel Le Nam Son (L) of Vietnam Navy Command greets Colonel Thomas Frioli,
commanding officer of the French frigate Forbin D620, as it docks in HCMC,
May 28, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen

The Forbin D620, which is 153 meters long and weighs 7,000 tons, is tasked with escorting and protecting aircraft carriers at sea.

It is equipped with rockets and torpedoes, among other weapons, to intercept hostile rockets and aircraft.

Vietnam and France established diplomatic relations in 1973.

Last September, the two countries signed a Joint Vision Statement on Military Cooperation from 2018 to 2028, which sought to deepen bilateral relations on the basis of sovereignty and the law, and to maintain security and stability in the region and the world.