New Delhi (VNA) - Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar on September 2 sent greetings to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on the occasion of the 79th National Day of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - 2024).
In his post on a social media platform, Jaishankar affirmed his commitment to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between his country and Vietnam - a key partner of India in ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific.
The official also highlighted high-level interactions, sharing images of meetings between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and himself with their Vietnamese counterparts. He noted Vietnam's participation in the third edition of the Voice of Global South Summit, and also reviewed recent collaborative activities between the two sides, highlighting the increasingly close ties between India and Vietnam.
Regarding development cooperation, Jaishankar mentioned the restoration of the A10 Temple at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of My Son by the Archaeological Survey of India. In August 2024, an army software park was established at the Telecommunications University in Vietnam with India's assistance.
India contributed to the construction of classrooms as Quick Impact Projects under the Mekong-Ganga cooperation at Nguyen Van Dinh Primary School. Approximately 150 Vietnamese nationals attend Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) courses each year.
The 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission was held in Hanoi in October 2023. Memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed for cooperation in information technology and cyber security in June 2022. Bilateral trade for the fiscal year 2023-2024 hit nearly 15 billion USD.
In defence cooperation, the crew of the Vietnam Corvette 20 participated in Milan 2024 in Vizag in February 2024. INS Kiltan of India visited Cam Ranh Port in May 2024. The Vietnam-India bilateral exercise on UN peacekeeping (VINBAX 2023) was held in Vietnam in 2023.
A new joint vision statement on India-Vietnam defence partnership towards 2030 was inked in June 2022, he said, adding that 12 high-speed ships were handed over to Vietnam under India's 100-million-USD defence Line of Credit in June 2022.
Highlighting the cultural ties between India and Vietnam, the Indian official said a joint postage stamp was unveiled in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, contributing to promoting and showcasing images of people, and culture of the two nations.
According to Jaishankar, the 10th International Day of Yoga was celebrated in 48 localities of Vietnam. The ICCR-sponsored troupe, Alpana, performed at the Hanoi Opera House in August 2024. Earlier, Vietnam addressed the General Assembly of the International Buddhist Confederation in Delhi in November 2023./.
