VOV: Could you share about the significance of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in Vietnam-India bilateral ties?
Amb. Pranay Verma: Diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam were established in 1972. However, our friendship and close relations predate that milestone. We have millennia old civilizational connection, which are manifest in our shared Buddhist and Cham heritage.
As modern, independent nations, we have a similar history of struggle for independence from colonial rule. There was a mutual admiration between our founding fathers. Nurtured by their vision, India and Vietnam have enjoyed excellent relations since their independence, with a tradition of helping each other during difficult times and supporting each other’s national development.
Overall, the last fifty years have been a remarkable journey of togetherness as both India and Vietnam have overcome adversities to pursue nation-building and socio-economic transformation.
VOV: Vietnam and India are Comprehensive Strategic Partners. What is your assessment of the results of this partnership in the past few years?
Amb: Today, India-Vietnam relations are characterized as “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. This is demonstrated in wide-ranging collaborations currently taking placing between our two countries – from political engagement to economic and development partnership, defence and security cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people contacts.
The Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People adopted by our Prime Ministers during their Virtual Summit in December 2020 provides the blueprint for the future development of our bilateral relations.
Despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to make forward strides in all the areas identified in the Joint Vision.
Our political relations continue to be marked by frequent high-level contacts including through virtual platforms. Most recently, Prime Minister Modi and General Secretary Trong had a very successful telephone call on 15 April. The visit of the Chairman of National Assembly to India in December 2021 and the visit of our Lok Sabha Speaker to Vietnam in April this year have added a new momentum in our political relationship.
Our trade and economic engagement has maintained a positive trajectory. Our bilateral trade for the first time crossed US$ 14 billion in 2021 despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic. We are now focused on raising our trade to US$ 15 billion, hopefully in 2022.
Our defence partnership is growing rapidly. The visit of our Defence Minister to Vietnam in June this year created new grounds for our defence cooperation. Our militaries have maintained regular contacts, including through frequent exchange of naval ships, bilateral exercises, training programmes and capacity building initiatives. Our US$ 100 million defence Line of Credit to Vietnam has been fully implemented, helping Vietnam acquire new maritime and defence manufacturing capabilities. Our cooperation in UN Peacekeeping has been further strengthened with exchanges between our peacekeeping troops in South Sudan.
Our Development Partnership with Quick Impact Projects are creating community infrastructure which are benefiting local communities in more than 30 provinces of Vietnam and contributing to Vietnam’s Sustainable Development Goals. We are also collaborating in newer areas such as developmental applications of civil nuclear and space technology.
Our cultural exchanges have achieved new levels through archaeological conservation projects at the iconic heritage site at My Son in Central Vietnam.
Our people-to-people ties are going to receive new boost with resumption of direct flights. We want to significantly step up our tourism exchanges, including by leveraging our shared Buddhist heritage.
Multilaterally, India and Vietnam are engaged significantly. India considers Vietnam to be an important pillar of its Act East Policy as well as its Indo-Pacific vision. We have excellent coordination in ASEAN. In the United Nations, too, we have regular cooperation. India and Vietnam concurrently served in the United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members in 2021 and coordinated closely on many global issues.
So, as you can see, we have a very active agenda of cooperation and have achieved some significant outcomes in the last few years.
VOV: In the near future, how will the role of Vietnam play out as a pillar in India’s Act East policy? (any specific cooperation projects, etc.)
Amb.: Our Act East Policy is an evolution of our Look East Policy. Vietnam is a key pillar of this policy.
As the name itself suggests, the Act East Policy is an action-oriented policy and demonstrates India’s proactive engagement with East Asian partners, particularly ASEAN, to intensify and reinvigorate our multi-faceted ties based on the vision of shared peace, prosperity and development for the region.
The Act East Policy is premised on practical cooperation in three main areas, which we may call the three C’s – Connectivity, Commerce and Culture.
In all these three areas, we have an active engagement with Vietnam.
Connectivity is the foundation for closer integration. It not only includes physical connectivity, but also digital connectivity. The trilateral highway connecting India through Myanmar with Thailand and its extension being explored to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is a concrete manifestation of this.
Similarly, we are working to strengthen digital connectivity through development of IT infrastructure in the region. A Centre for Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT) being established in HCM City is a concrete example of this.
As regards Commerce, promoting trade and investment ties remains at the heart of our Act East Policy. Our trade with Vietnam has already crossed 14 billion dollars. As our economies are recovering after the pandemic, our investors are looking at opportunities in each other’s country with greater interest.
In Culture, our focus is on bringing our people closer together, including through tourism and cooperation in areas such as cultural conservation. Here again, Vietnam is an important partner for us. With direct flight connectivity and the attraction of shared heritage such as Buddhism, we are quite optimistic of a significant growth in our tourism exchanges with Vietnam. India’s partnership with Vietnam in the restoration of My Son temples in Central Vietnam is another fine example of our cultural focus under the Act East Policy. We are proposing to take up more such conservation projects in Vietnam.
In addition, given our shared maritime space, maritime cooperation is an important dimension of our Act East Policy. Again, Vietnam is an important partner in this. We have a common interest in the peace, stability and prosperity of our shared Indo-Pacific region.
Today, as the world is facing new uncertainties, cooperation and coordination between India and Vietnam stand to contribute to a free, open, peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region governed by international law. The strong convergence between India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) create new opportunities for practical cooperation between India and Vietnam in areas such as maritime security, blue economy, marine ecology, connectivity etc.
VOV: Vietnam plays an important role in enhancing ASEAN-India cooperation. What are India’s cooperation plans with Vietnam to enhance the influence of India in ASEAN? (as ASEAN also has other important partners)
Amb.: As Strategic Partners, India has important political and economic engagements with ASEAN and a common interest in the peace, stability and prosperity of our shared region.
As a close partner of India with multifaceted political, economic and security cooperation, Vietnam is a key link in India’s engagement with ASEAN. We recall with gratitude Vietnam’s most constructive role in facilitating our engagement with ASEAN as our Country Coordinator from 2015 to 2018 and ensuring the success of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in January 2018.
Based on our deep civilization contacts with the region and guided by our Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision, India looks forward to building ever closer links with ASEAN through enhanced connectivity, commerce and cultural exchanges. Our wide range of cooperation with Vietnam in these areas, clearly makes Vietnam an important partner in our efforts to deepen engagement with ASEAN.
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