India's Strategic Vietnam Defense Relations

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India is seeking to counter Chinese ambitions by training and supplying Vietnam's military.
By P K Ghosh
November 11, 2014




India's courtship of Vietnam is now overt. For instance, during the recent visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung, New Delhi not only laid out the red carpet for the visiting Vietnamese leader and the accompanying business delegation of 50 members, it took the decisive step of overtly acknowledging its assistance in modernizing Vietnam's armed forces, much to the chagrin of China.

Vietnam has its own difficult history with China. It is not surprising, then, that this emerging country is often seen as a linchpin in India's counter-encirclement and "Look East" policies. As a consequence, New Delhi is actively courting Vietnam with defense-related offers and infrastructure deals.


Providing impetus to these bilateral relations have been a flurry of senior-level official visits to and from Hanoi. The Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited India in November 2013, during which eight MoUs were signed, and Vietnam offered India seven oil blocks for exploration. India already had three Vietnamese blocks, in which the state-run ONGC Videsh (OVL) had invested about $360 million.

President Pranab Mukherjee then visited Hanoi in September this year, just ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India, sending a strong message of unity with the Vietnamese. During this visit seven pacts were inked along with a $100 million in credit for defense deals. This could be seen as a tit for tat with the Chinese president's subsequent visit to Sri Lanka and Maldives; a region that the Chinese have been trying to influence. The Chinese reacted sharply to Mukerjee's visit by sending a military incursion into Chumar sector on September 15 – the day the deals were signed.

The bilateral bonhomie was again on display during Dung's recent visit to India. For the first time India openly acknowledged modernizing Vietnam's armed forces and enhancing its maritime capacity. In addition, India was one of the few countries to continue expanding its energy exploration in South China Sea waters that are claimed by China.

On that occasion Prime Minister Narendra Modi said:

"Our defence cooperation with Vietnam is among our most important ones. India remains committed to the modernization of Vietnam's defence and security forces. This will include expansion of our training programme, which is already very substantial, joint-exercises and cooperation in defence equipment. We will quickly operationalise the $100 million line of credit that will enable Vietnam [to] acquire new naval vessels from India."

Given the need to keen an eye on Chinese movements in this volatile region, India is keen to have basing rights in Vietnamese ports such as Na Trang for its naval warships. This would not only help give India a presence in the region, it would also serve as a quid pro quo for the increasingly frequent Chinese forays into the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR). While the forward base in Na Trang has not yet been made available, Indian naval warships are extended special privileges when berthing at any Vietnamese port.


When the Indian warship Airavat was challenged by the People's Liberation Army Navy in September 2012 while on passage from Vietnam, it reinforced the need for India to enhance maritime cooperation and interoperability with the Vietnamese. That opportunity for developing interoperability has presented itself again, with the Vietnamese having taken delivery of the first of six Russian-made 636 Kilo-class submarines on order.

In the very near future Vietnam will have a fleet of submarines requiring skilled submariners to man these sophisticated platforms. The Indian Navy has stepped in and begun training a large number of Vietnamese sailors in submarine operations and underwater warfare. The ongoing "comprehensive underwater combat operations" training for these Vietnamese sailors is in progress at the Indian Navy's INS Satavahana (Submarine School) in Visakhapatnam.


The Indian Navy's experience since the mid 1980s in operating Russian Kilo-class submarines will undoubtedly help in this effort. In the past, India had supplied spare parts for the Russian-origin Petya-class warships and OSA-II class missile boats of the Vietnamese Navy, while from continuing to train its military personnel in information technology and English language skills.

This development is likely to perturb Beijing, and it will also be closely watched by Pakistan. It may prove to be the impetus that prompts China to consider giving Pakistan a nuclear submarine, which would raise the security stakes for India considerably.

Apart from submarine training, India also plans to train Vietnamese Air Force Sukhoi pilots, while Vietnam has also been negotiating to acquire the supersonic anti-ship cruise missile BrahMos, which is built jointly in India with Russia.

This ongoing strategic game of chess underscores the importance of India and Vietnam to each other. While China continues to make inroads into Sri Lanka and other Indian neighbors, India is returning the favor with growing support for Vietnamese capacity building.

Dr. P K Ghosh is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. He is the former co-chair of the CSCAP International Study Group on Maritime security and has been closely following the South China Sea dispute.

source:India's Strategic Vietnam Defense Relations | The Diplomat
 

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Vietnam’s first consul office in India opens in Bengaluru
Special Correspondent

1 minute


Vietnam opened its first-ever consul office in India in Bengaluru and appointed N.S Srinivasa Murthy as its consul.
India is the 26th investment partner of Vietnam and the latter is looking at expanding this collaboration further, said Phan Sanh Chau, Ambassador of Vietnam in India, on Wednesday. Mr. Chau said the consul was opened to improve investment ties between the two countries.


 

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Vietnam and India are emerging as economic powers in the region that will make a difference in the post-pandemic times, The Economic Times cited Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma as saying.

New Delhi (VNA) –
Vietnam and India are emerging as economic powers in the region that will make a difference in the post-pandemic times, The Economic Times cited Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma as saying.

The ambassador was speaking at a recent webminar on global trade and investment opportunities for Indian industry in Vietnam organised by India’s PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI).

Vietnam and India have emerged as global trade partners due to their policy initiatives and increase in their trade and investments, he said.

While applauding PHDCCI’s diligent efforts in fostering business and trade relations of India with other countries of the world, Verma discussed challenges faced in Vietnam related to disruption in production, supply chain, logistics, and many more yet at the same time arising of new opportunities in areas of technology, business practices, trade relations, diversifying partners and trade baskets.

Verma emphasised that there is a need for Vietnam and India to take advantage of each other’s economic strength for increasing business relations between the two nations, at the same time leverage each other’s global value chains to utilise each other’s trade network.

There is also a need to look at the domestic market, especially in India that can offer growth opportunities to Vietnam with focus on e-documentation and e-payments which help to increase business growth and foster B2B engagement, connecting MSMEs.

There is a need for structural improvement where the government and business partners need to work in sync and also improve shipping connectivity between the two nations.

He further added that mutual recognition of standards and certifications will have a positive impact on the trade and electrical machinery vertical.

Counselor Do Thanh Hai spoke about the flow of economic and trade opportunities between Vietnam and India despite the pandemic, saying the economic and trade exchange will pick up in the time to come.

There is a restructuring of the global supply chain and both nations have the capabilities to take advantage of the opportunity. With the strategic location of both nations and change in reforms, there will be an increase in trade exchange and will be a driving engine for the global economy in near future, he said./.

 

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Vietnam and India are emerging as economic powers in the region that will make a difference in the post-pandemic times, The Economic Times cited Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma as saying.

New Delhi (VNA) –
Vietnam and India are emerging as economic powers in the region that will make a difference in the post-pandemic times, The Economic Times cited Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma as saying.

The ambassador was speaking at a recent webminar on global trade and investment opportunities for Indian industry in Vietnam organised by India’s PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI).

Vietnam and India have emerged as global trade partners due to their policy initiatives and increase in their trade and investments, he said.

While applauding PHDCCI’s diligent efforts in fostering business and trade relations of India with other countries of the world, Verma discussed challenges faced in Vietnam related to disruption in production, supply chain, logistics, and many more yet at the same time arising of new opportunities in areas of technology, business practices, trade relations, diversifying partners and trade baskets.

Verma emphasised that there is a need for Vietnam and India to take advantage of each other’s economic strength for increasing business relations between the two nations, at the same time leverage each other’s global value chains to utilise each other’s trade network.

There is also a need to look at the domestic market, especially in India that can offer growth opportunities to Vietnam with focus on e-documentation and e-payments which help to increase business growth and foster B2B engagement, connecting MSMEs.

There is a need for structural improvement where the government and business partners need to work in sync and also improve shipping connectivity between the two nations.

He further added that mutual recognition of standards and certifications will have a positive impact on the trade and electrical machinery vertical.

Counselor Do Thanh Hai spoke about the flow of economic and trade opportunities between Vietnam and India despite the pandemic, saying the economic and trade exchange will pick up in the time to come.

There is a restructuring of the global supply chain and both nations have the capabilities to take advantage of the opportunity. With the strategic location of both nations and change in reforms, there will be an increase in trade exchange and will be a driving engine for the global economy in near future, he said./.

 

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Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to visit BHARAT in his first foreign outing: Envoy

New Delhi:
Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will visit India in his foreign visit since taking charge by the end of this year, envoy Pham Sanh Chau informed on Wednesday (September 1).


“It will be a very important visit because India will be the first country he will pay visit bilaterally,” envoy Chau told Zee Media.

Earlier today, the bust of Vietnam's founding father and former President Ho Chi Minh was unveiled at a park in Delhi's Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Chau stressed the friendly relations the two countries have shared historically.

“Ho Chi Minh is the great friend of India, he loved India, he loved Indians. For him, Indians are brothers and sisters, India is a great country, Indian civilization is one of the oldest and most respected. This (installation of Ho Chi Minh bust) would further improve bilateral relations between the two countries,” he said.

“As Minister Meenakshi Lekhi said, (former) President Ho Chi Minh and Mahatma Gandhi never met, but they met in their thoughts. Ho Chi Minh respected Mahatma Gandhi and that is why when he came to pay tribute to Mahatma, he brought flowers from Vietnam which was difficult 63 years ago,” he added.

Asked if a bust of Mahatma Gandhi would be installed in Vietnam, Chau said, “I hope one month from now if the situation goes well in terms of the pandemic, the bust of Mahatma Gandhi will be installed in the heart of the Ho Chi Minh city in a beautiful open park. It will be a very happy moment for us.”

 

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