Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Hanoi on a two-day visit to deepen military ties and expand maritime cooperation with Vietnam. The trip comes within two weeks of talks between the two countries about a possible sale of the BrahMos cruise missile.
New Delhi has also proposed maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) support for Vietnam’s Sukhoi-30 fighter fleet and Kilo-class submarines. Vietnamese officials have expressed strong interest in the shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos to strengthen coastal defences in the South China Sea and have sought faster delivery timelines.
Discussions on the missile sale and MRO arrangements took place earlier this month when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security, President To Lam, in New Delhi. India has already supplied BrahMos missiles to the Philippines and concluded a deal with Indonesia earlier this year. Vietnam and the Philippines are among several claimants engaged in maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea.
Sources say an India-Vietnam BrahMos package could be worth about USD 630 million and would likely include missile systems, specialised training for Vietnamese personnel, and long-term logistical support.
After Vietnam, Singh will travel to South Korea for a two-day visit. In a social media post ahead of the trip he said he intended to focus on deepening strategic military cooperation, strengthening defence-industrial partnerships, and boosting maritime collaboration to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Singh’s visit coincides with the tenth anniversary of the India–Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, recently upgraded to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership during President To Lam’s May 5–7 state visit to India. During his Hanoi programme Singh is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence, General Phan Van Giang.
India and Vietnam already share a ‘joint vision statement’ for defence partnership through 2030, signed in 2022. In Seoul, Singh will meet Republic of Korea Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and will jointly inaugurate the Indian War Memorial on May 21 with South Korea’s Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Kwon Oh-eul, to honour the role of Indian forces in the Korean War.
