Top News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnam President To Lam held wide-ranging discussions across key areas of bilateral cooperation, agreeing to further ties over the peaceful uses of atomic energy emerging from the 4th India-Vietnam Joint Committee Meeting.

Add Asianet Newsable as a Preferred Source

Nuclear and Energy Partnership

"India appreciates Vietnam's invitation to participate in its nuclear power sector. Vietnam thanked India for the supply of Cobalt-60 and both sides agreed to explore modalities for its continued supply to Vietnam", the Joint statement said.

Continuing on the front of energy partnership, the Joint Statement noted that the leaders acknowledged their respective climate, sustainable development goals and energy transition priorities and agreed to enhance cooperation in clean and renewable energy, as well as climate and disaster resilient technologies. "They recognised the relevance of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) and institutions such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in this regard. India welcomed Viet Nam's interest to join the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA). The leaders also acknowledged the importance of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in promoting international cooperation in disaster risk reduction and resilience. They encouraged further cooperation in applying digital and advanced technologies in smart agriculture, sustainable water management, and air pollution control," the statement read.

Strategic and Development Partnership

The leaders noted progress towards the establishment of the ASEAN-India tracking, data reception station and data processing facility in Viet Nam. Viet Nam agreed to expedite the remaining processes on its side with a view to facilitating the completion of the project at the earliest.

They also welcomed the signing of the MoU between IREL (India) Limited, the Government of India, and the Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements, VINATOM, the Government of Vietnam, on mutual cooperation in the field of Rare Earths, and emphasised its early and full implementation.

As per the statement, the leaders commended the extensive and impactful development partnership between the two countries, underpinned by the Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation framework, ITEC programmes, and educational scholarships. They noted with satisfaction the implementation of 66 QIPs through India's support across 32 out of Viet Nam's 34 provinces, which have received widespread appreciation from local governments and communities for their grassroots socio-economic impact.

Underscoring India's ITEC programme is a key pillar of bilateral development cooperation. Vietnam underlined its appreciation for India's strong and continued support in capacity building of Vietnamese officials through the ITEC programme, including through specialised training courses tailored to their requirements, as well as the ICCR scholarships for students and scholars.

Education and Research

PM Modi and President Lam encouraged greater student, faculty and research exchanges between universities, think tanks and other institutions of the two countries. They welcomed the MoU between Nalanda University of India and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

Maritime and Oceans Cooperation

The two leaders further emphasised the maritime domain as one of the key pillars of their cooperation and called for enhanced maritime cooperation between the two sides. They noted that the bilateral Maritime Security Dialogue has fostered mutual trust and better understanding of respective concerns and underscored the importance of convening it regularly.

Vietnam thanked India for the invitation to assign an International Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram, India, to strengthen cooperation in Maritime Domain Awareness.

Prime Minister Modi welcomed Vietnam's joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and looked forward to enhanced cooperation under that framework. Vietnam will continue to coordinate with India and other partners within the framework of the IPOI, while fostering further synergies between IPOI and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and promoting substantive cooperation in the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026.

The statement said that both leaders agreed to enhance collaboration in oceanography, including areas such as ocean observing platforms, data management, ocean prediction and services, capacity building and maritime scientific research.

Economic and Technological Collaboration

Prime Minister Modi welcomed cooperation with Vietnam in the setting up of Pangasius breeding and farming facilities, and enabling Mussels' breeding and procurement in India.

They reiterated the significance of digital technologies and welcomed the signing of the MoU between the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of Vietnam on financial innovation and digital payments. They agreed to promote linkages for retail payment platforms via QR Codes that would facilitate tourism and businesses of both sides.

The leaders agreed to facilitate greater collaboration and partnership in critical and emerging technology areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure, 6G, Artificial Intelligence, space and nuclear technology, marine sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and critical minerals. Cooperation will focus on practical initiatives such as joint research, R&D centres, and product development as mutually beneficial. (ANI)