India, Vietnam ink vision document to significantly expand defence ties

India and Vietnam on Wednesday inked a vision document to further broad-base the ''scope and scale'' of defense cooperation and sealed a mutual logistics support pact, in reflection of a major upswing in their strategic ties amid common concerns over China's increasing muscle-flexing in the South China Sea region.

The two documents were inked after Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held ''fruitful'' talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Giang in Hanoi.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual logistics support will allow the militaries of the two countries to use each other's bases for the repair and replenishment of supplies.

''In these times of increasing cooperative engagements between the defense forces of the two countries, this is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support and is the first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country,'' the defense ministry said. Singh arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday on a three-day visit.

''Had an excellent meeting with General Phan Van Giang, the Defence Minister of Vietnam. We renewed interactions on expanding bilateral cooperation. Our close Defence and Security cooperation is an important factor of stability in the Indo-Pacific region,'' Singh tweeted.

The joint vision document provides for significant expansion of defense ties in diverse areas by 2030, officials said.

''We had wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defense engagements and regional and global issues,'' Singh said.

''After our fruitful deliberations, we signed the 'Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030', which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of our defense cooperation,'' he added The signing of the vision document to expand bilateral defense and security ties came amid growing congruence between the two countries in the maritime security domain amid China's increasing muscle-flexing in the region.

Singh is also scheduled to call on Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The two defense ministers signed the 'Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030' that provides for the expansion of defense and military ties in diverse areas, officials said.

Singh and Gen Giang also agreed to the early finalization of the USD 500 million defense Line of Credit (LoC) extended to Vietnam by India. The defense ministry, in a statement, said the implementation of the projects under the LoC will add substantially to Vietnam's defense capabilities and further Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India, Make for the World'.

Singh also announced the gifting of two simulators and monetary grants towards setting up a language and IT laboratory at Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building of the Vietnamese armed forces.

The defense minister began his visit by paying respects to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi. He also visited Tran Quoc Pagoda, a revered Buddhist temple that reaffirmed the age-old civilizational and people-to-people linkages between the two countries.

Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.

India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests.

Relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of 'strategic partnership' during the visit of Vietnam's then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.

In 2016, during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Vietnam, bilateral relations were further elevated to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership'. Vietnam has become an important partner in India's Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.