A delegation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front led by President Huynh Dam has paid a working visit to India to enhance the friendship between the two countries.

At their meeting with Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid on November 30, Huynh Dam said he wishes a direct air route would be set up soon to boost economic cooperation and facilitate tourism between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid mentioned some prospects for India-Vietnam cooperation and expressed his hope that both sides will work together to clear the obstacles still blocking the launch of the Tata steel project in Vietnam .

Also on the day, the Vietnamese delegation visited the headquarters of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in New Delhi .

CPI Secretary Shameem Faizee and CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat said they want to see the friendship between India and Vietnam in all fields growing in the time to come.

In reply, Huynh Dam said he believes that cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the CPI and CPI-M will be further strengthened and that between the two countries will be developed and deepened.

Vietnam is deeply aware that the success of its resistance wars against foreign aggressors in the past was partly owing to the support provided by other countries and movements around the world, including those of Indian people, Dam said.

On December 1, the Vietnamese delegation paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his tomb and met with the staff and officials of the Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese representative agencies in India./.