Indian navy’s ship makes friendship visit to Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Destroyer INS Rana of the Indian navy with 360 officers and crew members on board under the command of Colonel Atul Deswal anchored at Sai Gon Port in Ho Chi Minh City on September 27, beginning a four-day friendship visit.

Colonel Atul Deswal said the visit is one of activities in the framework of defence cooperation between India and Vietnam. The two sides will take the occasion to exchange experience in training, communications and operation.  

The naval forces of Vietnam and India have worked together in many fields over the past years, particularly in training, ship maintenance, logistics and capacity building, thus helping bolster the friendship between the two countries and contributing to security and stability in the region and the world.

At the welcome ceremony for the Indian ship, Sen. Lieut. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, deputy head of Brigade 125 under Naval Region 2, expressed his belief that the visit of the INS Rana will help strengthen the ties between the two navies and the bilateral defence partnership.

During the stay in HCM City, the INS Rana crew will pay floral tribute at the Ho Chi Minh Monument, make courtesy visits to the city’s People’s Committee and the High Command of Military Zone 7, and hold professional and sport exchanges with their Vietnamese counterparts.

They will also host a delegation of officials, border guard force, young people and the Indian community in HCM City for a visit of the destroyer.  

This is the second visit of the Indian navy to Vietnam. The first was made by three ships - the INS Sahyadri, the INS Shakti and the INS Kamorta, under the command of Rear Admiral Dinesh Tripatyi to Tien Sa port in the central city of Da Nang in May this year.-VNA