New Delhi: Defence, security and intelligence cooperation were the key areas of focus during National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s visit to Vietnam this week, as India seeks deeper engagement in Southeast Asia.
Doval was in Vietnam on 1 and 2 November.
“During the visit, NSA met General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) and Minister of Public Security of Viet Nam. Both sides discussed ongoing security and intelligence cooperation, including law enforcement, cyber, maritime, and economic security. They agreed to strengthen capacity building in these fields,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Tuesday.
Doval also called on To Lam, General Secretary of Central Committee of CPV and the State President. The two countries had elevated their ties to an “Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in May during To Lam’s visit to New Delhi.
“He [Doval] extended greetings of Prime Minister of India to President To Lam, and briefed him on the meetings during the visit. NSA recalled the landmark State Visit of the General Secretary to India in May 2026 and thanked him for his continued support in strengthening the India – Vietnam Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” the Indian Embassy in Vietnam said in a statement.
Vietnam is the latest country in the region to buy the BrahMos missile platform from India, with a deal signed sometime earlier this year, as reported by ThePrint. In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had offered Indian support for maintenance and upgrading of various Vietnamese defence platforms, including the Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft and Kilo class submarines.
On Sunday, Doval also met with General Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence, as well as Le Hoai Trung, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Defence cooperation remains a key element of India-Vietnam ties, with both countries working on implementing the Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030.
The focus remains on expanding defence training, capacity building, maritime cooperation and military exchanges. A decade earlier, India had offered Vietnam a $500 million line of credit for the defence sector. Roughly $300 million worth of projects were identified during To Lam’s visit to India earlier this year, while the remaining $200 million will be spent on upgrading Vietnamese naval ships and purchase of submarine batteries.
During the state visit of President To Lam in May, the two countries had agreed to deepen cooperation between “the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam and the National Security Council Secretariat of India”.
Doval’s visit now is a part of the larger strategy between New Delhi and Hanoi to broaden collaboration in areas such as information sharing, cybersecurity, counterterrorism and combatting transnational crimes, money laundering and online scams.
On 16 October, the two countries held the fourth India-Vietnam Security Dialogue in New Delhi, co-chaired by Deputy NSA Pavan Kapoor and Senior Lieutenant General Pham The Thung, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Public Security. The two sides reviewed economic security, maritime engagements, counter-terrorism, emerging technologies and cyber security cooperation.
“India and Viet Nam will be celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2027. The visit provided an opportunity to review the progress in bilateral cooperation under the India-Vietnam Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” read the MEA statement Tuesday.
The two countries are also keen on expanding economic cooperation. In May, Modi and To Lam set out a target of hitting $25 billion in trade by 2030. In 2025-26, the trade in goods between the two countries stood at roughly $18 billion.
The expanding security and economic cooperation signals the growing strategic convergences between New Delhi and Hanoi in maintaining regional stability in Southeast Asia.
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