South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo headed to Vietnam on Wednesday for talks with his counterpart there to explore ways to boost military cooperation, his office said.

During his three-day visit, Han is scheduled to meet with Phung Quang Thanh to discuss ways to boost cooperation in the defense field based upon the nations' "strategic cooperation partnership" clinched in 2009, according to Seoul's defense ministry.

"The two sides will also sign a memorandum of understanding on the bilateral Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement to lay the institutional groundwork for bilateral defense cooperation," the ministry said.

Seoul and Hanoi have discussed the signing of the agreement, which is the framework for logistics cooperation between armed forces, since 2011, with Seoul clinching the deal with major global powers including the United States and Australia.

Han is also to visit the Vietnamese military's elite unit of the mechanized division, and pay a courtesy call to the president, according to the Seoul ministry.

Following the trip to Vietnam, the defense chief will fly to Singapore on Friday to attend the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. 

On the sidelines of the three-day dialogue to run until Sunday, Han plans to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from the U.S. and Japan, as well as other regional partners, and hold a trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo, according to his office.

"How to better deal with ever-growing threats from North Korea will be the primary topic for a series of discussions in Singapore," a defense ministry official said, without further elaboration.

After wrapping up his military diplomacy, Han is to return home on Monday. (Yonhap)