Vietnam and the UK plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation this year, according to a press release issued Wednesday in Hanoi.

The Vietnam – UK 2011 Action Plan was signed by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Quoc Cuong, and British Ambassador Antony Stokes.

Under the plan, direct flights from Vietnam to London would begin in the second half of this year, according to the release. The UK Department for International Development also offered its support for the country’s anticorruption initiative.

Meanwhile, Stokes told Bloomberg reporters that investments from British companies are forecast to double by 2013. If all goes according to plan, the UK will invest as much as $3 billion in Vietnam after two years.

The initial operations of the UK-Vietnam International University in the central city of Da Nang, and the development of the media and creative industries were also outlined in the plan.