More than 50 years ago President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Lal Nehru had laid the foundation of cordial and friendly relations between Vietnam and India. Ever since then, there has been a series of developments and understanding that is grown over the years.
The struggles faced for independence and liberation
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One of the main reasons why the two countries could understand each other was due to the struggle they faced for liberation and independence. During the Vietnam’s fight for independence from French, the ties grew a lot stronger. Even during the war of North Vietnam and the US, the Indians provided the necessary support to North Vietnam.
Efforts being put between the two countries
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Over the years, the two countries have maintained a very strong bond and are putting in continuous efforts to ensure that the relationship shared between the two countries are beneficial in various ways. There has always been a constant support given to each other on various matters.
Considering the increasing influence of China over the military and political affairs of Asia, the strategic cooperation that is between Vietnam and India is beneficial for both the countries since it is on a mutual ground. Today, the talks are about selling defense missiles and training Vietnamese fighters in India and even the trades between the two countries have flourished. Presently the yearly figures of trade between the two countries touch around 7 billion dollars in comparison to the early 1980’s figure of 20million dollars.
Under consideration is also the upcoming proposals that have been put forth for an Imaging facility and a Satellite Tracking and Data Reception Center that would be located in Vietnam. This is said to be under the mechanism of the ASEAN – India Corporation. The funding of the center will be taken totally by India while the agency implementation would be handled by ISRO. This will help in the development of multiple applications.
There have been regular visits made from diplomats from both sides which have helped in the growth of the commercial and economic relationship between the two countries. This includes the Defense Cooperation, Science and Technology, Capacity and Assistance Building, Scholarships, ARC-ICT etc.
The benefit that both countries share
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The doors of Vietnam have also opened for the Indian Navy by giving it a base in the region so that it can operate. While on one side, this will help India to carry on their trades with the world through the South East Asian Region easily. On the other side, having an Indian Naval base will also help Vietnam as a counter action to the claims that China is trying to make over the islands.
Rich dividends have been paid to India with the growing engagement between Vietnam and the country under the Look East policy of India. In South East Asia, the partnership of Vietnam is very important for India and the two countries are cooperating closely even on various other regional forums like the Asia Europe Meeting ( AESM), Mekong Ganga Cooperation, East Asia Summit apart from the WTO and UN.
Concluding note
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Considering how well things are going between the two countries, and the various efforts that have been put in regularly, we can clearly say that the relationship is cordial and traditionally close. You can also clearly state that for Vietnam, one of their top trading partners that will come in the list would be India. With the arrangements and agreements that have been made between the two countries, you can clearly say that it is a win-win situation not just for Vietnam but also for India.