India, Vietnam step up defence cooperation, plan next Defence Policy Dialogue at Aero India 2027
New Delhi, Sep 13. India and Vietnam have agreed to deepen defence and maritime cooperation, expand technology sharing and accelerate joint initiatives, building on the strategic direction set by the two countries’ Prime Ministers during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh held talks with Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, in New Delhi, with discussions focused on strengthening bilateral defence ties and contributing to regional security.
The meeting came shortly after the high-level bilateral engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart at the BRICS Summit.
The two sides discussed ways to step up joint initiatives, technology cooperation and defence industrial collaboration, while reaffirming their commitment to expanding maritime and defence ties.
India and Vietnam stressed the importance of working together to support a peaceful, stable and rules-based regional security architecture, particularly amid evolving security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
The two countries also underlined the need for closer coordination in multilateral security forums. Particular emphasis was placed on their engagement through the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework.
Both sides agreed that ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Groups, provide important platforms for practical defence cooperation, promoting regional stability and strengthening collective security arrangements in the Indo-Pacific.
The two countries also agreed to hold the next Defence Policy Dialogue in India on the sidelines of Aero India 2027, further institutionalising their growing defence engagement.
The latest talks underscored the increasing momentum in India-Vietnam defence relations and reflected efforts by both sides to translate the strategic vision articulated by their leaders into greater practical cooperation in defence, technology and maritime security.
