India, Vietnam to Co-Produce Defence Equipment, Deepen Security Ties

India and Vietnam have agreed to deepen their defence and security cooperation, including the co-production of Indian defence equipment, during the 19th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) held in Delhi on Monday.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the meeting with visiting Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung. The Joint Commission covers trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation.

Speaking after the talks, Jaishankar described Vietnam as a key partner in India's Act East Policy and in the Vision MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) outlook for the Indo-Pacific. He also noted Vietnam's importance within India's Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN.

Defence and security cooperation is a central pillar of the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Bilateral engagement has expanded to military-to-military dialogue, capacity building and training across all arms of the forces.

India gifted the indigenously built missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam in July 2023. Earlier, in June 2022, twelve high-speed guard boats built by Larsen & Toubro were handed over under a bilateral line of credit of USD 100 million. Two further Lines of Credit of USD 120 million and USD 180 million were signed between the Exim Bank of India and Vietnam's Finance Ministry in July 2024 and are currently being undertaken.

According to the official statement on the talks, the two sides identified the way forward on deepening defence and security collaboration, including through co-production of Indian defence items. They also discussed expanding trade, investments and mutually beneficial supply chains, market access for Indian marine and agricultural products and pharmaceuticals, financial, port and air connectivity, opportunities in nuclear energy and the space sector, heritage conservation, cooperation in standards for seafarers, capacity building and people-to-people ties.

The ministers noted that discussions between Vietnam's General Secretary and President To Lam and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including during To Lam's State Visit to India in May 2026, had provided renewed impetus to the relationship.

Jaishankar said bilateral ties had progressed significantly since the previous Joint Commission meeting three years ago, with two important State Visits from Vietnam in the interim. He noted that Vietnam is the first country in the region with which India has bilateral ties at the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership level.

The two ministers reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations under the partnership in what was described as a productive and outcome-oriented discussion. They agreed to observe next year as the Year of India-Vietnam Friendship to mark 55 years of diplomatic ties, and welcomed Vietnam's engagement under India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiatives (IPOI).

The statement also appreciated the growing popularity of Yoga in Vietnam. The two sides exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation and coordination in regional and multilateral fora.

Expressing satisfaction at the upward trajectory of bilateral relations, the ministers agreed to convene the next Joint Commission Meeting on a mutually convenient date.