Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to pay an official visit to Vietnam in the second week of January. He will be present to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ho Chi Minh City.
According to ET sources, the key agenda to be deliberated in this visit could be training and maintenance of defence equipment and Vietnam has also shown interest in buying the BrahMos missile.
A wide-ranging conversation on implementing the joint defence plan took place between Rajnath Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart, Sr Lt Gen Phan Van Giang, last year. Both the leaders had agreed to initiate measures to upgrade cooperation in the defence industry and technology domain.
In 2016, India and Vietnam strengthened their relations to a level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), and the president of Vietnam’s National Assembly visited India in December to celebrate the partnership’s fifth anniversary.
