Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, reviewing the progress in bilateral ties after India and Vietnam upgraded their relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership earlier this year.Modi welcomed Vietnam’s participation in the BRICS Summit as a Partner Country and the two leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the partnership.“The meeting provided an opportunity for both leaders to review the progress made in bilateral ties, which were elevated to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the State Visit of H.E. Mr. To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to India in May 2026. Both leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual importance, and reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthening their partnership,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs following the meeting.The meeting comes just four months after Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary and President To Lam’s state visit to India in May, during which the two countries elevated their existing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2016, to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.The May upgrade marked a further deepening of what New Delhi describes as a key relationship in its Act East policy. India and Vietnam have increasingly expanded cooperation beyond political and economic ties to defence and maritime security, with Vietnam emerging as an important partner in India’s engagement with Southeast Asia.Defence and security cooperation is a central pillar of the relationship. The two sides have been implementing a Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030, while military-to-military engagement has expanded to training, capacity building and wider defence exchanges. India also gifted its indigenously built missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam in 2023.The two countries have also institutionalised regular consultations across a range of areas. Their 13th Political Consultation and 10th Strategic Dialogue were held in New Delhi in June 2025, while an annual Defence Policy Dialogue and a Maritime Security Dialogue provide mechanisms for continuing strategic engagement.The strategic importance of Vietnam for India has been a recurring theme in bilateral statements. During Modi’s 2016 visit to Vietnam, the two sides had described Vietnam as an important pillar of India’s Act East policy, while Vietnam had reaffirmed its support for a greater Indian role in the region. The relationship was upgraded from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during that visit.Saturday’s meeting therefore comes against the backdrop of a deliberate effort by both sides to give greater strategic and regional heft to their partnership. The MEA said the relationship was rooted in a “time-tested friendship” based on shared civilisational heritage, mutual trust and understanding, and described Vietnam as a “key pillar” of India’s Act East policy and an important partner in its broader engagement with Southeast Asia.More Like ThisPublished on September 12, 2026