Roundtable Discussion on India-Vietnam Relations
Date :: 15 November 2018

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi in association with Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam organised a Roundtable discussion on India-Vietnam relations on November 15, 2018.

India and Vietnam are celebrating their forty-sixth anniversary of diplomatic relationship, and in the past couple of years their partnership has been on an upward trajectory. With an increase in the number of high-level visits in the recent past along with the elevation of their bilateral ties from Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, India and Vietnam has been experiencing a roller coaster relationship, but from a positive angle.

The welcome address for this occasion was given by Shri Shakti Sinha, Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. He welcomed the audience with warmth and welcomed Vietnam’s new Ambassador to India. He too welcomed Ms. Preeti Saran, former Indian Ambassador to Vietnam at the discussion.

Ambassador Preeti Saran highlighted certain points on how excellent is Vietnam as a country that is so successfully growing even after being a war-torn nation, setting itself as an amazing example of growth and development. She talked about Vietnam’s richness in culture and diversity and how India fits in the circle of both nations cultural relations. She also reiterated how India and Vietnam abides strongly by international laws in respect to Indo-Pacific. The economic relation between the two countries is growing at an increasing pace. The commonality of the same world view between India and Vietnam are celebrated.

Dr. Anirban Ganguly, Director of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation explained how compelling the relation between India and Vietnam is. He spoke on cultural terms on how interesting it is to note that cultural India had spread to Southeast Asia and how well aware is Vietnam with the Indian culture. India and Vietnam have the key to push their partnership to work on a particular structure of engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

H.E Pham Sanh Chau, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, highlighted on the fact that India is one of the three countries with whom Vietnam shares ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. He reiterated how India being a non-communist country has supported Vietnam over the years and how India is sans aggressive with hardly any extra-territorial demand.

Vietnam is a country who has double culture that is both Indian and Chinese culture. In defence and security areas, India has readily provided Vietnam with security personnel training and technical assistance as well as defence equipment cooperation. He welcomed every possible ideas and initiative for maintenance of peace and stability, and more so freedom of navigation and movement in the South China Sea. The Ambassador also encouraged the most talked about connectivity issue between India and Vietnam, and also committed to take initiative to successfully increase direct connectivity between the two nations.

Several participants from different institutions and other organizations had joined the discussion. They shared inputs on various themes like, defence and strategic partnerships, energy cooperation, historical linkages as well as people to people connectivity between the two countries.

About the Centre of Vietnam Studies:
website: http://www.cvsindia.net
email: [email protected]/[email protected]
facebook: CentreforVietnamStudiesNewDelhi
twitter: @VietnamStudies

Centre for Vietnam Studies, New Delhi, India established after its announcement by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam H. E. Tran Dai Quang on 4th March 2018 during his Special Address at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi seeks to provide a platform for the scholars to engage in the past, present and future of India-Vietnam relations.

Initially launched as a Centre, it is expected to grow and evolve as a major interactive research forum for sharing ideas and exchange of scholars between India and Vietnam, organizing lectures, panel discussions, workshops, conferences and associate emerging scholars working on India-Vietnam relations both in India and abroad. The Centre envisages active association of all the stakeholders for mutual exchange of ideas and dissemination of information about the archetypical relationship between India and Vietnam encompassing centuries and beyond.

Mandate of the Centre covers a wide range of issues ranging from historical and cultural ties to strengthening trade and investment; defense, strategic and maritime cooperation to non-traditional security issues; political and diplomatic engagements to cooperation in Science Technology and education; development partnership and regional value chains to culture, commerce and connectivity.