Officers and sailors from the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) were given an insight into some of the finer points of Royal Australian Navy boarding operations recently during a tour of HMAS Larrakia.
Conducted during a four-day port visit to Ho Chi Minh City, the tour allowed the VPN members to familiarise themselves with the equipment and procedures used by Australian boarding parties.
Commanding Officer Larrakia, Lieutenant Commander David McPherson, said the visit was a great chance for both navies to share knowledge.
“Given our developing relationship with the VPN, this was an excellent opportunity to promote positive interaction between members of both navies in a subject that is relevant to both countries.
“Our guests were very interested in learning more about the way we do business,” said Lieutenant Commander McPherson.
The day also included a walk-through of the ship which gave the Vietnamese a better understanding of life on an Armidale Class Patrol Boat.
The tour was one of several engagements, both official and social, that took place during Larrakia’s port visit.
Larrakia is almost halfway through a six-week South East Asian deployment which will see her take part in Exercise LUMBAS 2014 and the 70th commemoration of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She currently has ‘Attack Four’ embarked as her crew.
[mappress] Press Release, October 03, 2014; Image: Australian Navy