India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla (left) and Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue in their meeting in Hanoi in April 2022. (Photo: VNA)NewDelhi (VNA) – A European Union website has documented the 50-yearhistory of the Vietnam-India relationship in a new article, saying it is “asclear as a cloudless sky” as remarked by late Prime Minister Pham Van Dongmore than four decades ago.
Thelate PM’s statement has stood the test of time, given that now the twocountries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishmentof diplomatic ties, according to moderndiplomacy.eu.
“Thereis a constant reiteration of Vietnam’s role in India’s Act East Policy and itsIndo-Pacific Vision which is cemented by bilateral relations in all fieldsincluding but not limited to economy, trade, defence and tourism,” it said.
From“Bilateral Relations” to “Strategic Partnership” to now a “ComprehensiveStrategic Partnership”, the two countries have always shared close diplomaticties which is a result of their shared experience of national struggles forindependence. Despite having different political systems, there has beennumerous high-level diplomatic visits and India has time and again played a keyrole in supporting Vietnam’s independence and unification or committing toproviding assistance in advancing Vietnam’s defence in the present decade.
"Vietnamis a vital and strategic partner for India, and as commented by Ambassador PhamSanh Chau, India has become one of Vietnam’s top three partners as acomprehensive strategic partner along with Russia and China, but India-Vietnam diplomatic relations are stronger," the article stressed.
India’sIndo-Pacific Vision is positive and inclusive of nations and beyond who have astake in it. ASEAN centrality and unity is an important element of the vision.Vietnam yet again plays a key role in the region and in India’s vision,especially with respect to the area of East Sea.
It highlighted economic and trade cooperation as a very important part of India-Vietnamrelations, noting that India is the most important market for Vietnam,accounting for 80% of Vietnam’s total trade with South Asian nations. India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla mentionedthe desire to increase bilateral trade to reach 15 billion USD from theprevious 13.2 billion USD, while admiring the growth of Vietnam in a variety ofeconomic sectors.
Currentlythe two countries are implementing the 2021-2023 Action Programme that aims toimplement all the agreements and discussions that took place in official meetings.
Itreiterated that “the relationship is a longstanding one with deep understandingof each other’s needs and a mutual sense of respect. With a pending invite forIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and policies that expand years, the skycontinues to be as clear as it was in 1980”./.
