• The Fourth India-Vietnam Policy Planning Dialogue was held in New Delhi on March 4

• Raghuram S, Joint Secretary (Policy Planning & Research), Ministry of External Affairs, and Le Dinh Tinh, Director General, Policy Planning Department, Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the discussions on a wide range of geopolitical issues.

• The dialogue enabled both sides to share views on various regional and global issues, including recent developments in the Indo-Pacific, functioning of multilateral institutions, and development priorities of the Global South.

India-Vietnam Relations

• India and Vietnam share traditionally close and cordial bilateral relations. India was the chairman of the International Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC) which was formed in pursuant of the Geneva Accord of 1954 to facilitate the peace process in Vietnam. 

• India initially maintained consulate-level relations with the then North and South Vietnam and later established full diplomatic relations with unified Vietnam on January 7, 1972. 

• Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.

• India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests.

• Vietnam is an important partner in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.

• Bilateral defence engagements have expanded over a period of time to include wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, including through defence policy dialogues, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programmes and cooperation in the UN peacekeeping and bilateral exercises.

• Relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of ‘Strategic  Partnership’ during the visit of Vietnam's then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.

• In 2016, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vietnam, bilateral relations were further elevated to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. 

• During April 2023-March 2024, India-Vietnam trade stood at $14.82 billion where India’s export to Vietnam amounted to $5.47 billion and Vietnam’s exports to India were valued at $9.35 billion.

• Main Indian exports to Vietnam include engineering goods (automobile parts, iron & steel, machinery & equipment,) agricultural items (maize, animal feed ingredients, bovine meat, cotton), marine products, organic and inorganic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, minerals, etc. 

• India’s imports from Vietnam mainly include electrical and electronic equipment, machinery and mechanical appliances, inorganic chemicals, articles of plastic, copper and rubber, coffee and tea, spices, iron and steel articles, footwear, garments, etc. 

• ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement concluded in 2009 provides preferential trade regime between India and Vietnam, and the agreement is currently under review. 

• Under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation framework, India has been undertaking Quick Impact Projects in different provinces of Vietnam to develop community facilities at grassroots level.

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