Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government, on the evening of August 18 attended and delivered remarks at a reception marking the 80th Independence Day of India.
At the Hanoi event, Trung extended warm congratulations to the Indian Government and people on their achievements over eight decades of nation-building and development, which have transformed India into one of the world’s leading economies and science and technology hubs while enhancing its regional and international standing.
He expressed confidence that India will make steady progress toward its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision of becoming a developed, prosperous and modern nation by 2047.
The minister affirmed that Vietnam-India relations, founded by President Ho Chi Minh and Indian leaders and nurtured by generations of the two countries, have developed into a special and enduring friendship. Bilateral cooperation has delivered significant and practical benefits, with two-way trade doubling over the past decade, while defence and security cooperation has become increasingly substantive and effective, reflecting high levels of strategic trust.
People-to-people ties have also grown through Buddhism, yoga, tourism, education and training.
The year 2026 marks a new chapter as the two countries celebrate the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership. During General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam’s state visit to India in May 2026, the two sides elevated their ties to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership, guided by the spirit of “shared vision, strategic convergence, substantive cooperation.”
Trung noted that while India is pursuing Viksit Bharat 2047, Vietnam is working toward becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045 through a new development model centred on productivity, knowledge, science and technology, innovation, high-quality human resources and modern governance.
The convergence of development visions and aspirations provides broad space for the two countries to support and complement each other, he said, suggesting both sides translate high-level political commitments into concrete cooperation programmes that deliver tangible benefits to their peoples and meet their growing development needs.
Speaking at the reception, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Tshering W. Sherpa highlighted the deep civilisational ties and shared values of independence, freedom and strategic autonomy that have connected the two peoples across generations.
The ambassador described Party General Secretary and President Lam’s state visit to India and the decision to upgrade bilateral ties as historic milestones opening a new chapter in bilateral relations. He affirmed that India attaches high priority to Vietnam and looks forward to working with Vietnam to translate shared values, mutual trust and their special friendship into increasingly practical cooperation and a future-oriented partnership./.
