India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, has held high-level talks in Hanoi with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, General Phan Van Giang, as both countries reviewed their expanding defence partnership and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the sector.

During the meeting, the two sides assessed the progress of ongoing bilateral defence collaboration and explored additional avenues to deepen engagement. According to the Indian Embassy in Vietnam, “NSA Ajit Doval met General Phan Van Giang, Politburo Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Viet Nam, today. They reviewed ongoing bilateral defence cooperation and agreed to further deepen engagements in this domain.”

Doval arrived in Hanoi on an official visit aimed at reviewing the India-Vietnam Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and engaging with the Vietnamese leadership on a range of bilateral and regional issues.

Welcoming the visit, the Indian Embassy stated: “Welcome to Vietnam! National Security Advisor (NSA) of India Shri Ajit Doval, KC, landed in Hanoi on an official visit. NSA, during the visit, will interact with the Vietnamese leadership in line with the India-Vietnam Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

The visit comes several months after India and Vietnam elevated their relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Vietnamese President To Lam’s visit to India in May 2026.

During that visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President To Lam held extensive discussions covering bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments of mutual interest. Both leaders emphasised that stronger relations would generate tangible benefits for their citizens while supporting India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and Vietnam’s Vision 2045 development objectives.

The two countries also praised the implementation of the Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030, which remains the principal framework guiding the steady expansion of defence cooperation.

India and Vietnam have increasingly broadened their strategic engagement in recent years, with cooperation extending beyond conventional defence ties into areas such as maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber security, economic security and emerging technologies.

The latest discussions in Hanoi follow the fourth India-Vietnam Security Dialogue, held in New Delhi last month. The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s Deputy National Security Adviser, Pavan Kapoor, and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Pham The Tung.

During the dialogue, both sides conducted a comprehensive review of cooperation across key security domains and exchanged assessments of the regional and international security environment.

The Ministry of External Affairs said: “Both sides undertook a comprehensive review of ongoing cooperation between the two countries covering, inter alia, economic security, maritime engagements, counter-terrorism, emerging technologies and cyber security.

They also exchanged views on the regional and global security environment and reaffirmed their commitment to closer collaboration on issues of mutual interest.”

The biennial security dialogue, established under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding between India’s National Security Council Secretariat and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, continues to serve as an important mechanism for advancing collaboration on strategic and security matters.

Doval’s visit underscores the growing momentum in India-Vietnam relations, with both countries seeking closer cooperation across traditional defence areas as well as emerging security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

ANI