U.S. President Donald Trump told Vietnam on Sunday that he is prepared to mediate between nations with conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea, saying he is "a very good mediator and a very good arbitrator."

"If I could help mediate or arbitrate, please let me know," Trump said in a meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi, in reference to China's construction and militarization of outposts in disputed areas of the South China Sea, according to the White House.

China has overlapping territorial claims with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan in the South China Sea. Rejecting U.S. and other third-party intervention in the matter, Beijing has repeated its preference to negotiate directly with other claimants in an attempt to overwhelm them with its economic might.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Trump after the meeting, Quang did not directly answer a journalist's question as to how Vietnam would respond to Trump's offer to mediate.

Quang said Vietnam seeks to settle South China Sea disputes through peaceful negotiations and with respect for diplomatic and legal process, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 U.N. Convention on Law of the Sea.

China, however, has refused to comply with last year's international tribunal ruling that invalidated its claims across almost the entire sea.

Regarding other matters, Trump hailed defense ties between Washington and Hanoi as "terrific," saying he appreciates Vietnam's purchase of "very substantial military equipment" from the United States.

"It's jobs for America, and you get the best equipment in the world," Trump said. "Nobody makes it like we make it."

The U.S. leader was in Vietnam on the fourth leg of trip to five Asian nations, with previous stops in Japan, South Korea and China. Trump travels onto the Philippines for summit meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.