India and Vietnam have agreed to accelerate defence technology sharing and defence-industrial cooperation, marking a significant step in their growing strategic partnership.

The decision was reached during talks in New Delhi between Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, underscoring the importance of defence collaboration within the broader framework of regional and global engagements.

The discussions followed bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung during the summit. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding maritime and defence cooperation, with the objective of supporting a peaceful, stable and rule-based regional security architecture.

According to a Defence Ministry release, this reflects the shared vision of both nations to strengthen defence ties while contributing to wider Indo-Pacific stability.

The talks also emphasised the importance of advancing the longstanding friendship between India and Vietnam. Both sides agreed to deepen their enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership, focusing on regional security and defence cooperation.

The leaders highlighted the need for close coordination in multilateral forums, particularly through active engagement in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework, which has become a key platform for regional defence dialogue.

India and Vietnam further agreed that the next Defence Policy Dialogue will be hosted by India on the sidelines of Aero India 2027. This decision reflects the intent to institutionalise defence cooperation and ensure regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.

The dialogue is expected to provide a platform for reviewing progress and identifying new areas of collaboration in defence technology, industrial cooperation and maritime security.

The defence discussions were preceded by Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Prime Minister Hung in New Delhi during the 18th BRICS Summit. Their talks focused on strengthening the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and translating existing commitments into concrete areas of cooperation.

The Ministry of External Affairs noted that the leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including defence and security, financial technology, critical minerals and emerging technologies, highlighting the multidimensional nature of the partnership.

Vietnam’s participation in the Brics Summit as one of the partner countries reflects the grouping’s expanding engagement with emerging economies beyond its full members.

This inclusion underscores Vietnam’s growing role in regional and global affairs and its importance as a strategic partner for India in defence, technology and industrial cooperation.

Agencies