Vietnam and India have signed two fresh memoranda of understanding (MoU) on information technology (IT), in a move hailed by Indian Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal as a huge step forwards in bilateral cooperation.

The first MoU was agreed between Vietnam’s Authority of Radio Frequency Management and India’s Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing. The second was inked by the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Both agreements were sealed during a visit to India by Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son.

During talks with Son in New Delhi on July 4, Sibal described Vietnam as one of India’s most important partners in Southeast Asia.

He praised Vietnam for the rapid development of its own IT sector and suggested that the country should establish more joint-ventures with India. He suggested that network security and space technology are promising fields for bilateral partnership.

Minister Son said his visit aims to effectively realise agreements reached during past visits by the two nations’ leaders, contributing to further enhancing the Vietnam-India strategic partnership which was established in 2007.

The Vietnamese Government regards developing science-technology as a national priority as it bids to become a modern-oriented industrialised nation by 2020, he said.

Son expressed his hope that Vietnam can increase IT cooperation with India and learn from its vast experience in this field.

He stressed that Vietnam stands ready to bridge India with other Southeast Asian markets, and as well as with the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Concluding the talks, the two sides proposed establishing a joint working group with three members from each country representing the postal, telecommunications and IT sectors.

Earlier on July 3, Son met with leaders of Tata Consultancy Services and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

He suggested C-DAC help Vietnamese universities and research institutes with science-technology research, especially applied sciences and information safety, as well as IT human resources development through training in both nations.-VNA