US Defence Secretary meets Vietnamese counterpart

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, on Thursday morning in a move to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China.

Vietnam and the Philippines are among China's fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored its neighbors' protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations.

Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores.

Austin's visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.

The US has donated 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, part of the 80 million doses that President Joe Biden pledged to lower-income nations around the world.

Austin is on a two-day visit of the country, which started Wednesday.

He leaves for the Philippines on Friday.