Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, met General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, during his official visit to Vietnam.

The meeting was held in Hanoi and was aimed at advancing bilateral military cooperation between the two nations.

According to the Embassy of India in Vietnam, the high-level talks reviewed the growing trajectory of India-Vietnam defence collaboration. Particular emphasis was placed on enhancing Air Force-to-Air Force engagement, capacity building, and professional exchanges.

Both leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and global security issues of mutual concern.

The Embassy noted that the discussions reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Vietnam to further deepen defence cooperation under the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Defence and security cooperation remains one of the central pillars of this partnership, guided by the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed in 2009 and the Joint Vision on Defence Cooperation of 2015. In June 2022, both sides agreed upon a Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030 and signed an MoU on Mutual Logistics Support.

Bilateral defence engagement has diversified into wider military-to-military dialogue, capacity building, and training across all arms of the forces. Both sides have also taken steps to strengthen Defence Industry Cooperation, marked by the signing of a Letter of Intent in November 2025. This has paved the way for deeper collaboration in defence production and technology sharing.

India has extended significant support to Vietnam’s defence modernisation. In July 2023, India gifted an indigenously built missile corvette, INS Kirpan, to Vietnam. Earlier, in June 2022, twelve high-speed guard boats built by Larsen & Toubro under a bilateral line of credit of $100 million were handed over to Vietnam.

Two additional Lines of Credit worth $120 million and $180 million were signed between the EXIM Bank of India and the Finance Ministry of Vietnam in July 2024, which are currently being implemented.

Armed forces from both countries continue to interact through maritime and peacekeeping exercises. The sixth edition of the India-Vietnam peacekeeping exercise VINBAX was held in Vietnam in November-December 2025. Naval cooperation has also been strengthened through regular operational turnarounds at each other’s ports, further consolidating maritime security collaboration.

The meeting between Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and General Nguyen Tan Cuong highlighted the steady progress in bilateral defence ties and reaffirmed the strategic importance of India-Vietnam cooperation in ensuring regional stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.

ANI