According to the Ministry of National Defence, on the occasion of joining the Vietnamese Prime Minister's delegation to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, on the morning of September 13 (local time), Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, Party Central Committee member, Standing Member of the Central Military Commission and Vice Minister of National Defence, held a meeting with Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Defence cooperation becoming deeper and more substantive

At the meeting, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang noted that the traditional friendship between Viet Nam and India has continued to be consolidated and strengthened. In May 2026, Party General Secretary and President To Lam paid a State visit to India, during which the two sides agreed to elevate their relations to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership, marking a new development in bilateral ties under the motto of “shared vision, strategic convergence and substantive cooperation”, thereby creating a foundation for promoting cooperation across various fields, including defence.

According to Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, on the basis of signed documents and agreements as well as directions from the senior leaders of the two countries, Viet Nam-India defence cooperation has been actively and effectively implemented in various fields. Key areas include exchanges of delegations and contacts at various levels, particularly high-level exchanges; dialogue and consultation mechanisms; young officers' exchanges; training and education; cooperation between military services and branches; UN peacekeeping operations; and defence industry.

Highly appreciating Viet Nam's position and role in the region, Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stressed that India always attaches importance to its defence relations with Viet Nam and the cooperation achievements between the two defence ministries over the past years.

Emphasizing that bilateral defence cooperation still has considerable room for development, the Indian Defence Secretary said that strengthening exchanges, maintaining defence dialogue mechanisms and consultations, and coordinating at multilateral forums would remain areas that India attaches importance to.

Promoting major multilateral defence events

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to maintain existing cooperation mechanisms, work towards more substantive steps, and expand into new areas of cooperation so that each mechanism could deliver more concrete results, directly contributing to the capabilities of both sides as well as to peace, stability and development in the region.

The two sides focused on strengthening exchanges of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level delegations; regularly maintaining dialogue and consultation mechanisms; and agreeing to organize the 16th Viet Nam-India Defence Policy Dialogue in India in early 2027, with a view to enhancing exchanges and mutual understanding and providing orientations for the development of bilateral defence relations.

They also agreed to promote cooperation in training, UN peacekeeping operations and the defence industry; expedite the implementation of credit packages and non-refundable aid; and explore potential cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity, military medicine, and search and rescue.

The two sides also agreed to closely coordinate within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and successfully fulfill their role as co-chairs of the ADMM+ Experts' Working Group on Cybersecurity for the 2027-2030 cycle.

Thanking the Indian Defence Secretary for his sharing, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang expressed his wish to welcome him and a high-level delegation from the Indian Ministry of Defence and the Indian military, together with Indian defence enterprises, to Viet Nam to attend the 3rd Viet Nam International Defence Expo, scheduled to take place from December 10-13, 2026, in Hanoi.

In response, Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh respectfully invited Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang and the high-level Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence delegation to attend the aerospace exhibition to be held in India in February 2027.

The 3rd Viet Nam International Defence Expo 2026 is expected to be held at Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi from December 10 to 13, 2026, under the theme “Peace, Friendship, Cooperation for mutual development”. The expo will feature thematic and scientific workshops on military technology and the defence industry; showcase economic and defence achievements and the development of the Vietnam People's Army; and promote Viet Nam's history, country and culture, among other activities.