Vietnamese Interior Minister meets with President Aquino at the Palace

President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomes Vietnam Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Minister Sr. Lt. Gen. To Lam during the courtesy call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday (June 08, 2016). (Photo by Joseph Vidal/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

MANILA—Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security To Lam paid a courtesy call on President Benigno S. Aquino III in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday.

Minister To Lam was accompanied by Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Truong Trieu Duong, Director General of the Police General Department Lt. Gen. Pham Van Vinh, Deputy Director General of the Security General Department Lt. Gen. Nguyen Kim Quy, and Director General of the General Department of Intelligence Lt. Gen. Dang Xuan Loan.

National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia Jr. was also present.

The Ministry of Public Security is the ministry of the interior of Vietnam. It was organized with the help of the Soviet Union and China.

In addition to the regular police officers corps, the ministry also administers the Public Security force, a paramilitary force whose primary mission is internal security and whose secondary military mission is to help the regular army in defending the country.