On Monday, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam, to begin a two-day visit to Vietnam under the recently upgraded India-Vietnam Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with the goal of deepening strategic military ties and increasing defence cooperation.
Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was established during the state visit of Vietnamese President To Lam to India earlier this month, and this visit happens to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
As part of their welcoming remarks, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi emphasised that defence cooperation is an important part of bilateral relations and that Singh will also meet with Vietnamese Indians.
During his visit, Singh will meet with General Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s minister of national defence, for bilateral discussions slated to center on maritime security, defence industrial collaboration, and strategic military cooperation.
Before leaving, Singh stated that his goal in visiting South Korea and Vietnam is to strengthen regional stability and expand bilateral engagement.
According to him, the agenda’s top priorities are fostering maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific area, increasing defence industry partnerships, and strengthening military cooperation.
In 2022, during Singh’s earlier trip to Vietnam, the two countries’ defence ministers signed a joint vision statement outlining a long-term roadmap for defence cooperation; this visit, according to India’s defence ministry, builds on that document.
The 136th anniversary of the birth of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh also happens to coincide with the minister’s visit. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum will be the site of Singh’s floral tribute.
As part of his two-nation tour, Singh will visit South Korea after Vietnam.
While in Seoul, he will meet with South Korea’s defence minister, Ahn Gyu-back, to discuss current defence cooperation and potential new projects to enhance bilateral relations.
Defence cooperation and common security concerns on a regional and global scale are likely topics of discussion.
In addition to chairing the India-Korea business roundtable and meeting with Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Lee Yong-cheol, Singh has other engagements planned to enhance defence and industrial engagement between the two countries.
The Defence Ministry emphasised India’s pivotal role in the post-war repatriation of prisoners of war and its historic contribution to the Korean War, which included the deployment of the 60 Parachute Field Ambulance unit, among other things.
The Indian War Memorial, which will be dedicated on May 21 in honour of Indian soldiers who served during the conflict, will be inaugurated jointly by South Korean Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul and Singh.
According to the ministry, new opportunities for strategic cooperation and renewed momentum in bilateral relations have emerged as a result of the alignment of South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy with India’s Act East Policy.
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