The Vietnamese Embassy in India organised a solemn ceremony in New Delhi on Jan. 6 to mark the 40 th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties (Jan. 7, 1972-2012).

Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Tan said that the traditional friendship between Vietnam and India , which was initiated by President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and fostered by successive generations of the two countries’ leaders and people, has been developing fruitfully.

The two countries’ coordination at regional forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the East Asia Summit (EAS) has also contributed to strengthening bilateral ties and consolidating peace, security, stability and development in each nation as well as in the region and the world, he added.

According to the ambassador, two-way trade between Vietnam and India has enjoyed strong growth since the two countries signed their strategic partnership agreement, increasing from 1 billion USD in 2006 to 3.7 billion USD in 2011. The figure is expected to hit 7 billion USD in 2015.

Many Indian groups and companies, including TATA, ONGC-OVL and ESSAR, have invested in Vietnam , making remarkable contributions to the country’s development.

Indian Deputy Foreign Minister Sanjay Singh spoke highly of Vietnam ’s dynamic development, affirming that India grants Vietnam a special position in its “Look East” policy.

He expressed his hope that the Vietnam-India traditional friendship will continue to flourish in the future, adding that Indian companies are interested in investing in various fields in Vietnam. /.