Vietnamese Coast Guard arrives in Manila for joint drills

A Vietnamese Coast Guard vessel arrived in the Philippines to conduct joint maritime drills as both nations face territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

Footage shows Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) vessel CSB 8002 docking in Manila for a five-day port call on August 5.

The Vietnamese delegate has at least 80 crew members, and will participate in various activities such as search and rescue drills, fire and explosion simulations, and passing exercises with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the VCG's visit was 'historic'.

He said: 'This is the first visit of the Vietnam Coast Guard to the Philippines. This is significant because we are building a partnership and demonstrating that two nations with ongoing disputes in the West Philippine Sea can indeed find common ground. This could serve as a template for building stronger relationships, which we might also apply with other countries that have claims in the region.'

The Southeast Asian countries held the bilateral exercises as they both face territorial tensions with neighbouring China and its increasingly violent actions in the disputed waters.

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.