English Translation of Prime Minister's Press Statement during the Joint Press Statement with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the President of[...]

Your Excellency,
General Secretary and President To Lam,
Distinguished delegates from both countries,
Friends from the media,

Namaskar!

Xin chào!

I am extremely pleased to extend a warm welcome to President To Lam on his visit to India. His visit to India within a month of assuming office as President of Vietnam, accompanied by a high-level delegation and several business leaders, clearly reflects the priority he places on India-Vietnam relations.

Notably, he commenced his visit to India from Bodh Gaya, which reflects the shared civilizational and spiritual heritage of our two countries. Through his visit and our meaningful discussions, we are translating our mutual goodwill into several concrete outcomes.

Friends,

In the India-Vietnam partnership, both heritage and development hold importance. Last year, when Buddhist relics from India were taken to Vietnam, more than fifteen million people, around fifteen percent of Vietnam's population paid their respects. To preserve our shared heritage, we are undertaking the restoration of the ancient Cham civilization temples at My Son and Nhan Towers in Vietnam. We will now also digitize the manuscripts of the Cham civilization, thereby preserving this invaluable heritage for future generations.

Friends,

A decade ago, during my visit to Vietnam, Vietnam became India's first Comprehensive Strategic Partner in ASEAN. Since then, our relations have witnessed rapid and wide-ranging progress. Alongside our civilizational ties, our cooperation in trade, technology, and tourism has also grown stronger.

Building on this strong foundation, today we are elevating our relationship to the level of an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We will now advance our partnership toward even higher goals. Alongside culture, connectivity, and capacity building, our cooperation will reach new heights in every domain, including security, sustainability, and supply chain resilience.

Friends,

Bilateral trade between India and Vietnam has doubled over the past decade, reaching USD 16 billion. Today, we have taken several important decisions to raise this to USD 25 billion by 2030. An MoU between our drug authorities will enhance access for Indian pharmaceuticals in Vietnam. Exports of India's agricultural, fisheries, and animal products to Vietnam will also become more streamlined. Very soon, Vietnam will enjoy Indian grapes and pomegranates, and we will, in turn, savour Vietnam's durian and pomelo.

Furthermore, we have reached agreed to update the India-ASEAN Trade Agreement-"AITIGA" - by the end of the year. This will infuse new energy into trade and investment between India and all ASEAN nations. Through new initiatives in critical minerals, rare earths, and energy cooperation, we will ensure the economic security and supply chain resilience of both sides.

Friends,

Connectivity and capacity building are key pillars of our partnership. We are delighted that air connectivity between our two countries is continuously expanding.

To further strengthen financial connectivity, we have decided to enhance cooperation between our central banks. India's UPI and Vietnam's fast payment system will also be linked soon. Additionally, we will deepen state-to-state and city-to-city cooperation between our two countries

Friends,

Vietnam is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy and Vision MAHASAGAR, and we share a common outlook on the Indo-Pacific region. As we strengthen our defense and security cooperation, we will continue to contribute to the rule of law, peace, stability, and prosperity. With Vietnam's partnership, India will further expand its engagement with ASEAN.

Your Excellency,

We are grateful to Vietnam for its strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack and for standing with us in our fight against terrorism.

In this era of global turbulence and economic challenges, India and Vietnam are emerging as two of the world's fastest-growing economies, driven by talent, good governance, and economic reforms. Through our enhanced strategic partnership, we will act as catalysts for each other's accelerated growth.

As reflected in the spirit of the Buddha's teaching, "If you light a lamp for someone else, it also illuminates your own path."

Guided by this principle, by supporting each other's visions and goals, we will collectively realize our aspirations of becoming developed nations.

We will walk together, grow together, and win together.

Thank you very much.

New Delhi
May 06, 2026

DISCLAIMER -This is the approximate translation of Prime Minister's remarks. Original remarks were delivered in Hindi.