India-Vietnam Relations
Context:
India recently hosted To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam's Central Committee and the current Vietnamese President.
During the bilateral discussions at Hyderabad House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Lam formally elevated the bilateral relationship to the level of an "enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership."
Strategic and Economic Pillars:
Act East Policy & Vision MAHASAGAR:
PM Modi reiterated that Vietnam serves as a major pillar of India’s Act East Policy and its Vision MAHASAGAR.
He highlighted that strengthening defence and security ties will promote the rule of law, peace, stability, and prosperity in the broader Indo-Pacific, adding that India plans to expand its ties with the wider ASEAN bloc through its relationship with Vietnam.
The India-Vietnam bilateral trade currently stands at $16 billion.
Both nations have now set an ambitious target to propel this trade volume to $25 billion by the year 2030.
Key Agreements:
The visiting delegation signed 13 essential documents.
Prominent among these is a pact on cooperation in radioactive and rare-earth minerals, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the State Bank of Vietnam aimed at fostering cooperation in payment systems and digital payment innovations.
Defence and Historical Ties:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Vietnam's Minister of National Defence, Phan Van Giang.
Both sides welcomed the steady progress in implementing India's defence Lines of Credit (LoC), which significantly aids Vietnam's defence capabilities.
Future focus areas include maritime security, defence industry collaboration, joint research, and enhanced military interactions.
Security & Intelligence:
Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security has firmed up plans to enhance operational collaboration with India's National Security Council Secretariat.
Delivering a speech at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), President Lam recalled India's historic support for Vietnam's liberation, noting that Jawaharlal Nehru was the first foreign leader to visit Hanoi in 1954, just a week after its liberation.
Location with Respect to the Equator:
Vietnam is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, situated north of the equator.
Because it sits between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, it lies primarily within the tropical zone.
Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate marked by high humidity and abundant rainfall.
However, due to its elongated shape stretching across multiple latitudes, the weather varies significantly depending on the region
Surrounding Water Bodies:
Vietnam boasts a sweeping coastline of over 3,260 kilometers (excluding islands), giving it extensive maritime boundaries.
It is surrounded by the following bodies of water:
East and South:
The South China Sea, which forms the majority of the country's eastern and southern coastline.
Northeast:
The Gulf of Tonkin, a sizable, relatively shallow arm of the South China Sea situated between northern Vietnam and China's Hainan Island.
Southwest:
The Gulf of Thailand, where the southern tip of the country curves westward.
Land Borders:
Vietnam is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the west/northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest.