Top Vietnamese leader and State President Tô Lâm has called for stronger and more effective defence cooperation with India during his meeting with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Hà Nội.

The Vietnamese leader emphasised the importance of translating high-level commitments into deeper and practical collaboration, noting that the official visit of the Indian minister helped realise the newly upgraded Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This partnership reflects the shared vision, strategic convergence and commitment to substantive cooperation between the two countries.

President Lâm expressed gratitude to Indian leaders and people for their warm reception during his recent state visit to India, highlighting that the outcomes of that visit had ushered bilateral ties into a new phase.

He reiterated that Việt Nam highly values India’s role and contributions to regional peace, stability and development, and regards India as one of its most important partners. He stressed Việt Nam’s support for India’s greater global and regional engagement, as well as its international initiatives, while underlining Việt Nam’s readiness to act as a bridge connecting India with the region to foster peace, stability and respect for international law.

The Vietnamese leader pointed to the strong traditional friendship and high-level political trust between the two countries, noting that the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would further consolidate political trust and open up broader cooperation opportunities across multiple sectors. He called for increased high-level exchanges, stronger trade and investment links, expanded collaboration in science and technology, and closer people-to-people connectivity.

He also welcomed the outcomes of talks between Defence Minister Singh and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phan Văn Giang, noting the growing practical cooperation between the two defence ministries. He urged both sides to fully and effectively implement existing agreements to deepen defence cooperation.

Defence Minister Singh, for his part, emphasised that his visit, coming shortly after President Lâm’s trip to India, underscored the Indian government’s strong commitment to implementing high-level agreements and advancing bilateral ties.

He noted that Indian leaders, media and public opinion had been impressed by the outcomes of President Lâm’s visit, affirming that it held special significance and opened a new chapter of deep and strategic cooperation in the bilateral relationship. Singh reaffirmed that Việt Nam is one of the most important partners in India’s “Act East” policy and its broader regional strategies.

The Indian minister pledged that India would continue to boost defence ties, expand high-quality human resource training programmes, and work closely with Việt Nam to complete ongoing cooperation projects under existing credit and defence support packages, while considering new and appropriate forms of assistance.

He also committed to coordinating with relevant Indian ministries and sectors to further enhance cooperation in science and technology and improve air and maritime connectivity. Both sides underscored their shared perspectives on regional and global issues, agreeing to maintain regular exchanges of delegations, strengthen dialogue mechanisms including defence policy consultations, and enhance information sharing and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ADMM-Plus.

President Lâm expressed confidence that with the strong determination of leaders from both countries, Việt Nam–India relations would enter a new era, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the wider world.

This meeting reaffirmed the strategic depth of the bilateral partnership and the commitment to building a robust framework for defence and security cooperation that aligns with regional priorities and global responsibilities.

Vietnam News