Rear Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, commander of the Vietnam People's Navy, and Rear Admiral Lai Chung Han of the Singapore Navy have signed an agreement for their navies to cooperate for submarine rescue.

The agreement was signed Wednesday on the sidelines of the 15th Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Padang, Indonesia.

The two officials also discussed closer cooperation in many other areas.

Vietnam plans to sign similar agreements with other countries in the region, according to a Thanh Nien source.