Planning to broad base the “scope and scale” of its defense ties with Vietnam by 2030, India has inked a vision document with the Southeast Asian country.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang in Hanoi.
Wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defense engagements and regional and global issues were held between the two sides.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Logistics Support was also inked. In these times of increasing cooperative engagements between the defense forces of the two countries, this is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support and is the first such major agreement that Vietnam has signed with any country.
“Had an excellent meeting with General Phan Van Giang, the Defence Minister of Vietnam. We renewed interactions on expanding bilateral cooperation. Our close Defence and Security cooperation is an important factor of stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Singh had tweeted.
During the meeting, both Ministers also agreed on the early finalization of the $500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam. Implementation of the projects will add substantially to Vietnam’s defense capabilities and further Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Make in India and Make for the World.
Singh, during his three-day visit, also announced gifting two simulators and monetary grants towards the setting up of Language and IT Lab at Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building of the Vietnamese Armed Forces.
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India and Vietnam have shared a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) since 2016 and defense cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership.
Singh also handed over 12 high-speed guard boats under India’s existing $100 million defense line of credit to Vietnam. The initial five boats were built in the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipyard in India and the other seven in Hong Ha Shipyard. Senior civil and military officials of India and Vietnam were present during the handing-over ceremony.
Singh described the project as a glowing example of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ as envisioned by Modi.
He said the successful completion of the project, despite the challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is a testimonial to the commitment and professional excellence of the Indian defense manufacturing sector as also as Hong Ha Shipyard. He exuded confidence that the project will be a precursor to many more cooperative defense projects between India and Vietnam in the future.
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India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defense cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership. Vietnam is an important partner in India’s Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision. Both countries share a rich history of civilisational and cultural linkages spanning over 2,000 years. India and Vietnam continue to have the most trustworthy relations in contemporary times with broader convergence of interests and common concerns. Bilateral defense engagements have expanded over a period of time to include wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, including Defence Policy Dialogues, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programs, and cooperation in UN Peace Keeping, ship visits, and bilateral exercises.
Rajnath Singh invited Vietnam to become a part of India’s defense industrial transformation through enhanced cooperation. He asserted that the Indian defense industry has substantially increased its capabilities under the �Aatmanirbhar Bharat’s vision as the Prime Minister. He stressed that the objective is to build a domestic industry in order to make India a defense manufacturing hub that not only caters to domestic needs but also fulfills international requirements.
He also visited Tran Quoc Pagoda, a revered Buddhist temple that reaffirmed the age-old civilizational and people-to-people linkages between the two countries.
Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.
Singh also visited the training institutions of Vietnam on the final day of his three-day official visit to the Southeast Asian country. He visited Air Force Officers Training School at Nha Trang. He handed over a gift of one million dollars on behalf of the Government of India for the establishment of a language and IT laboratory in the school. Addressing the officers at the school, he hoped that the laboratory would substantially contribute to sharpening the language and IT skills of Air Defence and Air Force personnel of Vietnam.
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