The vice defense ministers of South Korea and Vietnam held talks via video links Monday and pledged to strengthen cooperation against the new coronavirus and other security issues, Seoul's defense ministry said.

During the talks with Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-in explained the government's response against COVID-19, and said South Korea has the virus situation under control thanks to its preemptive quarantine efforts and active participation by the citizens, according to the ministry.

The Vietnamese vice minister praised South Korea's response to the virus and expressed hope Seoul would continue sharing its experience with the Southeast Asian country, it said.

"The two vice defense ministers agreed that unconventional security threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, cannot be overcome by just one country's efforts and thus 'solidarity and cooperation' of the international community is crucial. They vowed to continue close cooperation down the road," the ministry said in a release.

Park also pledged to fully cooperate for a successful launch of this year's ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, which is tentatively scheduled to be held in Hanoi in October. (Yonhap)