HMS Spey, the British Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel, made a five-day friendship visit to HCM City on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Source: UK embassy in Vietnam

The UK Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey, commanded by Commander Michael Proudman, docked at Nha Rong – Khanh Hoi Port on February 7, beginning a five-day goodwill visit to Ho Chi Minh City.

With this being the fourth Royal Navy ship coming to Vietnam in the past five years, the UK has been among Vietnam’s most persistent and reliable partners in maritime security, according to information released by the UK's embassy in Vietnam

British Ambassador to Viet Nam, Iain Frew shared that the visit of the HMS Spey to Ho Chi Minh City comes on the 50th anniversary of UK – Vietnam diplomatic relations. This milestone marks half a century of friendship and cooperation between two countries, of which security and defence are a growing part.

The UK and Vietnam share many common interests, including maritime security, sustainable development, and a desire to see our economies grow and trade more together. He expressed confident that this visit will further deepen the two countries' strong relationship.

At the welcoming ceremony. Source: UK embassy in Vietnam

While in Ho Chi Minh City, officers of the ship are scheduled to pay courtesy visits to leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the Command of Military Region 7 and the Command of Vietnam People’s Navy Zone 2.

The crew of the HMS Spey will also engage in a variety of interesting activities, including navy talks on-board, friendly football match with Vietnamese officers, and cultural exchanges with local communities.

In addition, HMS Spey will be welcoming aboard a group of students from British International School Ho Chi Minh City who have excelled in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects. This is a unique opportunity for the students to tour the Royal Navy’s greenest ship and gain insight into the ship’s navigation and engineering systems.

According to Commander Michael Proudman, HMS Spey’s Commanding Officer, the crews are excited to be visiting Ho Chi Minh City. This visit does not only represent an opportunity for us to intensify our collaboration with our Vietnamese counterparts but also underline the UK's ongoing commitment to promoting global stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: UK embassy in Vietnam

HMS Spey is currently on a five-year operation to the Indo-Pacific region, joining forces with her sister ship HMS Tamar. Working alongside partners and allies the ship is helping tackle security challenges and support nations in mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.

During its recent patrols, the ship has also taken measures to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing in the region.

HMS Spey is one of the greenest ships in the Royal Navy and has been working with regional partners to carry out environmental and hydrographic surveys as well as water sampling to aid studies on climate change.

Designed to perform a variety of tasks, HMS Spey has a range of over 5000 nautical miles and a 20-metre flight deck that can land on and refuel up to the size of a Merlin helicopter. She has extra accommodation to embark and support a military force on board and ashore, supported by the use of two water jet sea boats.

Ship’s Company have a plethora of experience across all disciplines from engineers to warfare specialists, highly trained to maintain and operate the modern equipment fitted within this capable platform.

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