This is the first visit of a Vietnamese Prime Minister to India since the two countries established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is also one of the first foreign leaders that Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited to pay a state visit to India right after his re-election for a third consecutive term.

The visit takes place in the context that the two countries are looking forward to the important milestone of celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2026 and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027.

In just two days, the Prime Minister had a dense, high-intensity, rich and diverse working program, with about 25 activities, including talks and meetings with senior Indian leaders and large corporations, and speeches at the Vietnam - India Business Forum and the Indian Council for International Affairs.

The visit was a great success, achieving the set goals with specific and practical results, meeting the interests and expectations of both sides. The visit was of great significance, creating new momentum and opening a new page of more substance and depth, with more opportunities in the Vietnam - India relationship.

Always side by side in history, present and future

The Prime Minister's meetings and contacts with Indian leaders have helped affirm the close friendship and traditional friendship between the two countries, as well as affirm the respect and support that the two countries have for each other in the overall foreign policy of each country.

During the meetings, the two sides shared their strategic visions on today's world, acknowledged the great progress and achievements, and remarkable strides made in bilateral relations, especially since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016.

The two sides agreed that Vietnam and India have high political trust; similar cultures and civilizations, shared ideas; complementary economies; shared aspirations to build a strong and prosperous country and have much potential and room for cooperation, which needs to be further promoted to suit the general trend of the times, as well as to serve the legitimate and legal rights and interests of the people and to realize the development goals of each country.

“We reaffirm the priority and respect that Vietnam and India give to each other in their foreign policies; agree to continue to cherish, preserve, consolidate and enhance the traditional relationship between Vietnam and India as sincere, trustworthy, loyal friends, standing side by side throughout history, at present and in the future; strive to find a breakthrough to bring bilateral relations to new heights, strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries in the new period, for the prosperity and strength of each country, for the material and spiritual happiness of the people of the two countries,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told the press after his talks with Prime Minister Modi.

Also during the meetings, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Indian friends often recalled the close cultural and religious exchange between Vietnam and India for thousands of years, leaving deep imprints in the spiritual life of the people, whereby Buddhism has become an inseparable part of Vietnamese culture or world heritages such as My Son Relic Site (Quang Nam)... remaining to this day.

Not only originating from similar and profound cultural values, Vietnam and India also came together from sympathy, support and shared common ideas on the path of fighting for Independence, Freedom and Happiness of the two nations. President Ho Chi Minh and previous Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawarhalal Nehru and generations of leaders and people of the two countries have worked hard to cultivate the traditional relationship and strong friendship between the two countries.

In 1946, President Ho Chi Minh sent a congratulatory message to the first free Indian Government. In 1954, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the first world leader to visit Vietnam, right after the capital Hanoi was liberated.

Over the course of history, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and India has continuously developed comprehensively and substantially. India is one of the first three strategic partners of Vietnam (2007). The establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework between the two countries (2016) is a historical milestone, creating a strong driving force for expanding and deepening relations between the two countries in all fields.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that in the context of the current rapidly changing and complex world, the two countries need to strongly promote the tradition of friendship and solidarity between the two countries, promote closer and more effective cooperation to together reach new strategic goals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed that Vietnam is a strong pillar in India's Look East policy and a key partner in India's Indo-Pacific vision; he said that the vision of development until 2047, becoming a developed country, celebrating the 100th anniversary of India's independence, and the development goal until 2045, becoming a developed country, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day - will open up new channels of cooperation that are beneficial to both countries.

“Placing Vietnam in an important position, as the “center” and “bridge” in the “Act East” policy has contributed to promoting the Vietnam-India relationship in general and the economic relationship in particular to a new height,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed. The Prime Minister stated that Vietnam strongly supports India’s Look East policy and supports India’s increasingly important role in important cooperation institutions in the region and the world.

In particular, during this visit, the strong solidarity and deep friendship between the two countries were further affirmed through the condolences that the Leaders and People of India sent to the Party, State, Government and People of Vietnam upon the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

As a great and close friend of the Indian people, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a State visit to India in 2012; witnessed the two countries upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016; and welcomed and worked with many Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indian Parliament observed a memorial service, and the Indian Government sent its National Security Advisor to Vietnam to pay his respects to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi, on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India and in his personal capacity, expressed his deep condolences for the great loss of the country and people of Vietnam.

Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the basis of “Five More”

On the basis of the solid foundation of 52 years of bilateral relations, in the context of the new position and strength of the two countries as well as facing rapid changes in the regional and world situation, the leaders of the two countries affirmed their determination to strengthen and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and India in the coming years, meeting the aspirations and legitimate interests of the people of the two countries.

Accordingly, the two sides will further strengthen relations in traditional areas such as defense - security, trade - investment, culture - education and expand new areas of cooperation in green economy, digital economy, circular economy, sharing economy, knowledge economy, increase two-way trade and investment, promote and deepen cooperation in science - technology. The visit also affirmed that Vietnam and India always support each other, are ready to cooperate, join hands to build peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia - Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

The two sides issued a Joint Statement on Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed nine documents in the fields of diplomacy, defense, finance, health, culture, tourism, and human resource training, including the Action Program to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2024-2028 period.

In particular, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the spirit of "Five More", specifically:

First, higher political and strategic trust. The leaders of the two countries affirmed the importance of further strengthening delegation exchanges and contacts through the Party, National Assembly, Government and local channels, continuing to implement the Distinguished Guest Program between the two sides; at the same time, enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms. Vietnam's announcement of its membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and its affirmation of early completion of procedures to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), two of India's important global initiatives, have contributed to strengthening trust between the two countries.

Second, deepen defense and security cooperation by promoting the effective implementation of the Joint Statement on Vietnam-India Defense Partnership to 2030, expanding cooperation in maritime security, cyber security, and counter-terrorism. The signing of a defense credit package by both sides was a breakthrough during the visit.

Third, economic, trade and investment cooperation is more substantial, effective and breakthrough . The two sides aim for a two-way trade turnover of 20 billion USD, doubling two-way investment from now until 2030. Vietnam has asked India to resolve trade barriers, sign an Agreement on E-commerce, a Bilateral Trade Agreement to fully exploit the retail market in line with new trends, promote Vietnamese products with strengths to the large and potential market of India such as electronics, textiles, agricultural products; attract large Indian corporations to invest in Vietnam in the fields of infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, energy, etc. On this occasion, businesses of the two countries signed 06 major contracts on aviation, airports and logistics.

Fourth, more open cooperation in science and technology and innovation. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in research and development (R&D), innovation in the fields of core technology, semiconductor chips, artificial intelligence, cooperation in atomic energy, rare earths, expand cooperation in the petrochemical field, new energy fields, promote the establishment of joint ventures to produce information technology products and cooperate in training information technology engineers to meet the development of this industry.

Fifth, cultural cooperation, tourism and people-to-people exchange will be more closely connected. The two sides agreed to soon sign a cooperation agreement on tourism, strive to soon achieve the goal of doubling the number of tourists compared to the present with about 400,000 visitors/year, continue to cooperate in restoring and preserving Cham Tower heritages in My Son, Quang Nam as well as further diversifying forms of people-to-people exchange.

To concretize the "Five More" direction, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed five priority orientations, accordingly, it is necessary to consolidate and further enhance strategic trust; renew traditional growth drivers, promote new growth drivers, develop economic - trade - investment cooperation commensurate with the stature of the relationship; promote multilateral cooperation, uphold international law, realize the vision of peace, stability, cooperation and development in seas and oceans; proactively contribute to responding to global challenges; together make cultural cooperation, education and training, local connectivity, people-to-people exchange, and tourism become endogenous resources and driving forces for sustainable development of the two countries.

Promoting multi-billion dollar investment projects

An important highlight of the visit was the Prime Minister's activities to promote strong investment from Indian businesses, on the basis of promoting the foundation of good political and diplomatic relations to form and implement specific, feasible and effective projects, bringing practical benefits to both sides.

The Prime Minister received leaders of leading Indian corporations in fields such as Adani (India's largest corporation specializing in infrastructure and energy), SMS Pharmaceuticals (one of India's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers), BDR (India's largest cancer treatment product manufacturer), National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (with the mission of building industrial corridors to revolutionize production, turning the country into a global manufacturing hub, a manufacturing powerhouse, developing a digital economy worth 1 trillion USD by 2026), ONGC Corporation (India's largest crude oil and natural gas corporation), HCL Information Technology Corporation, etc.

Many large Indian corporations have identified Vietnam as a strategic investment destination and wish to become strategic investors in Vietnam. For example, Adani leaders affirmed their commitment and determination to invest in Vietnam with proposed projects with a total capital of up to about 10 billion USD such as Lien Chieu port, Da Nang (about over 2 billion USD), Vinh Tan 3 Thermal Power project (about 2.8 billion USD), Long Thanh airport phase 2, Chu Lai airport, etc.

SMS Pharmaceuticals has also established a joint venture with a Vietnamese company to propose developing a high-tech pharmaceutical industrial park in Nghi Son economic zone (Thanh Hoa) with the goal of promoting and attracting a total investment capital of about 4-5 billion USD over the next 10 years.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh encouraged large corporations and technology billionaires from India to invest in Vietnam, creating large projects that are symbolic of economic cooperation between the two countries, welcoming the shift in supply chains and helping the two countries better participate in the global supply chain.

Encouraged areas include strategic transport infrastructure, new technology, core technology, digital transformation, semiconductors, green transformation (hydrogen), renewable energy, biotechnology, etc.

In particular, the Prime Minister strongly encouraged cooperation and investment from Indian pharmaceutical corporations, especially in the production of vaccines and drugs to treat incurable diseases. According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam has great potential in medicinal herbs while India has great strength in the pharmaceutical industry.

Emphasizing that investing in Vietnam in the pharmaceutical industry is a smart choice, the Prime Minister said that the important thing is "what is said must be done, what is committed must be done, what is done must have specific results", making high-quality products, good consumption, contributing to protecting people's health, at the same time transferring technology, training high-quality human resources, contributing to perfecting policies, contributing to forming an ecosystem for the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Vietnam on the basis of "harmonious benefits, shared risks", "working together, enjoying together, winning together, developing together" among the subjects.

Prime Minister Modi affirmed that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit opened a new chapter in the relationship between the two sides. According to Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit has become a strong catalyst, affirming the high determination of the leaders of the two countries in bringing the relationship between the two countries into a new phase, stronger, more practical and effective, with deeper trust, and more open opportunities.

Promoting the common values ​​of solidarity, friendship, deep trust and achievements of cooperation in recent times, the two sides firmly believe in the bright prospects of bilateral relations. Vietnam - India relations will continue to "bloom under the peaceful sky", as President Ho Chi Minh said during his first visit to India in 1958, together contributing positively to peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region, Asia - Pacific as well as in the world.