On September 14th in New Delhi (India), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Le Hoai Trung and External Affairs Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the 19th Session of the Viet Nam-India Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

At the meeting, both sides highly appreciated the progress in bilateral relations since the 18th meeting in October 2023, and agreed to continue to cement high-level commitments and remove obstacles so that cooperation programs and projects can become more substantive.

Minister Le Hoai Trung affirmed that Viet Nam values ​​its traditional friendship with India, emphasizing that elevating the relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has opened a new phase in bilateral cooperation.

On the other hand, Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar affirmed that Viet Nam is an important pillar in India's Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision, and plays a crucial role in ASEAN-India relations.

In the economic, trade, and investment sectors, both sides agreed to better leverage the complementarity of their economies, remove barriers to market access, and facilitate business. The target is to increase bilateral trade to US $25 billion.

India requested Viet Nam to facilitate market access for pharmaceutical products, fruits, meat, and other goods originating from India. Both sides also agreed to continue discussions on technical and procedural issues at the meeting of the Bilateral Trade Cooperation Subcommittee, scheduled for 2026.

Minister Le Hoai Trung welcomed Indian businesses to invest in Viet Nam in the fields of infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, energy, and to develop long-term strategies in the Vietnamese market.

Both sides also agreed to increase infrastructure, logistics, and air connectivity; promote increased frequency of direct flights, road and rail connections from India to Viet Nam, and connect the seaports of the two countries with the Asia-Europe shipping route.

Another noteworthy development is the plan to soon implement two-dimensional QR code-based retail payment connectivity.

In the field of defense and security, the two countries agreed to hold the first session of the Defense-Diplomacy Strategic Dialogue (2+2) soon, and to strengthen training, technology transfer, and capacity building.

Both sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating transnational crime and cybersecurity, maintain the Maritime Security Dialogue, and expand maritime cooperation.

Regarding science and technology, both sides agreed to promptly establish subcommittees for cooperation on science and technology and digital technology.

Minister Le Hoai Trung proposed developing a long-term science and technology cooperation strategy, focusing on strategic and emerging technologies; implementing joint research projects and increasing connections between research institutes, universities and businesses within the innovation ecosystem.

In the fields of culture, education, and tourism, Viet Nam and India agreed to leverage historical, cultural, and religious ties to promote people-to-people exchanges and increase bilateral tourism.

India continues to support the preservation and restoration of Cham tower complexes in central Viet Nam and provides short-term and long-term scholarships to Viet Nam.

Viet Nam encourages students to study in India and is ready to welcome Indian students to study Vietnamese.

On September 14th in New Delhi (India), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Le Hoai Trung and External Affairs Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the 19th Session of the Viet Nam-India Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Photo: VOV).

Both sides also agreed to prepare practical activities to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027, including considering designating 2027 as the Viet Nam-India Friendship Year.

Regarding regional and international issues, the two ministers affirmed their continued coordination and mutual support at the United Nations and multilateral forums. India affirmed its support for ASEAN's central role and expressed its desire for Viet Nam to continue coordinating efforts to expedite the completion of the review of the ASEAN - India Goods Trade Agreement.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Le Hoai Trung and Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar signed the Minutes of the 19th Session of the Viet Nam-India Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

Vietnam And India Aim For Trade Turnover of US $20 Billion Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that with increasingly complex and unpredictable developments in the international and regional situation, India always attaches importance to cooperation with Vietnam particularly and ASEAN.

Vietnam Seeks to Promote Agricultural Exports to Africa In the first nine months of 2023, Vietnam's turnover with the African region increased by 4.7%, reaching US$4.35 billion. Many Vietnamese agricultural products exported to the region increased sharply in volume and value, such as rice, coffee, and cashew nuts.