Indian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Sandeep Arya. Photo: Le Anh Dung
Ambitious goals
Vietnam and India have undergone rapid economic development and transformation over the past few decades, becoming two of the most dynamic economies of the 21st century. Could you share your views on Vietnam’s achievements, and how it compares to India’s rise story?
Ambassador Sandeep Arya: Vietnam has achieved remarkable growth over the past decade, maintaining a steady economic growth rate of over 6%. This is very similar to what India has been achieving.
Both countries have set ambitious goals for the future. Vietnam has Vision 2045, while India has Viksit Bharat 2047. Both countries aspire to become developed nations by 2045 and 2047, and are striving to maintain high economic growth rates of 7-8% per year for the next two decades.
So both countries are doing very well and have ambitious growth plans, built on solid foundations. I believe there are many similarities between Vietnam and India in terms of where we are today and where we want to go in the future.
Both India and Vietnam have economic growth rates that are more than double the world average. This means that the two countries have ample opportunities to enhance economic cooperation, expand markets, attract investment and take advantage of technological advances.
I believe that this is a very opportune time for India and Vietnam to cooperate more closely, especially in the economic field. Both countries offer attractive opportunities for market expansion, business cooperation and application of new technological advances.
The foundation for this cooperation is being firmly consolidated, and 2024 has been a successful year in promoting bilateral relations.
Another aspect of India’s development is its increasingly important position in the emerging multipolar world order. In other words, India is becoming a global power. What does this mean for India’s foreign policy priorities in Southeast Asia, especially with regard to Vietnam?
Ambassador Sandeep Arya: Thank you for your positive comments about India. We believe that this stems from our efforts to be a voice for developing countries, to work with them and to ensure their place and voice in the international order.
These efforts began in the 1960s. But I think in recent years, with the general development of the world, our desire to give a stronger voice to the countries of the Global South has become more evident.
As you may know, over the past few years, India has hosted three summits called the “Voices of the South” Summits. These are important because current international forums may not fully reflect the interests of countries like India, Vietnam and other developing countries, especially in areas such as finance, economic growth, climate change and global trade.
There is a need for stronger presence and voice of countries like India and Vietnam in international organizations so that decisions are made that reflect the world’s views in a more comprehensive and substantive manner. We are delighted to work with Vietnam, an important partner, in this common effort.
The world today is very complex and developing with many unpredictable changes. During Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to India on August 1, 2024, the joint statement of the two countries' leaders emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between India and Vietnam in the face of complicated developments in the geopolitical situation.
Therefore, foreign policy, international issues and global developments are important pillars in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Vietnam.
Bengaluru, the city known as the "Silicon Valley" of India. Photo: CAPA
India focuses on 'technological self-reliance'
Currently, the Action Plan for the implementation of the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the period 2024-2028 has been officially approved. In your opinion, what are the most potential areas of economic cooperation between India and Vietnam? How do you expect bilateral trade to develop in 2025 and the following years, especially in the fields of science and technology, green energy and digital transformation - India's leading strengths in the world?
Ambassador Sandeep Arya: Five months ago, the Foreign Ministers of India and Vietnam signed the Plan of Action to strengthen and materialize the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. This is a detailed document that guides our multi-sectoral cooperation.
The plan covers many areas, from political exchanges, defense and security cooperation to economy and trade, sustainable development, technology, science and innovation, culture, tourism... All are pillars that the two countries are committed to promoting. With the current development path, the two countries need to focus more on economic, trade, science and technology cooperation. New areas such as digital technology are becoming important drivers for economic growth globally.
In terms of trade, the trade turnover of 15 billion USD is an encouraging figure, but we believe that there is still much potential for further development, and the two sides are working together to achieve this.
Currently, India’s total investment in Vietnam is about 2 billion USD, which, although modest, is opening up many diverse cooperation prospects. At the Government level, we focus on promoting three pillars: trade, investment and business cooperation. The foundation for these efforts is the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), along with a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) under consideration by both sides.
At the same time, we promote business connections between the two countries through specific activities: participating in specialized trade fairs and exhibitions, organizing regular market visits. These efforts aim to help businesses from both sides understand each other, enhance understanding of each other's markets, and promote business cooperation.
Science and technology is another important pillar of our bilateral cooperation. In India’s strategic vision, we have identified science, technology and innovation as the three key drivers of sustainable growth in the coming decade.
Over the past 10 years, India has focused on building a foundation of “technological self-reliance” through the development of national capacity. India’s achievements in the field of digital technology and information technology (IT) have been recognized by the world. India’s annual export turnover of IT products is about 200 billion USD, demonstrating our competitiveness in this field.
Not stopping at trade, we are also applying digital technology to state administration and providing public services to people and businesses. Therefore, there are many potential areas for the two countries to share experiences and learn from each other about effective solutions and implementation methods.
There are also many other areas of technology besides IT and digital technology. For example, defense technology is an area where we have made significant progress. Vietnam is also aiming for self-reliance and stronger defense capabilities, so this is an area where the two countries can strengthen cooperation, and we are working hard to promote this.
Other potential fields include space technology, nuclear energy, telecommunications (5G, 6G) - fields that are emerging strongly in the world.
Both India and Vietnam are working hard to develop these areas. If the two countries cooperate closely, share experiences and develop together, I believe this will be a strong driving force for economic growth in both countries and at the same time strengthen the bilateral partnership.
The 21st ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: ASEAN
Vietnam is an important partner in India’s Look East Policy and Indo-Pacific Strategy. Could you elaborate on these policies and India’s plans to deepen its cooperation with Vietnam through these frameworks, in addition to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that you mentioned?
Ambassador Sandeep Arya: In foreign policy, the focus is usually on the world's neighbours and largest economies. However, India's Look East Policy reflects our special interest in the Eastern region, including the countries of Southeast Asia.
We have the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the India-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, which was established six years later. I believe that both these frameworks create a tremendous synergy for our two countries to cooperate more effectively.
This combined strength is reflected in close political coordination, joint speaking out on issues of common concern at international forums, and enhanced security and defense cooperation between India and Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.
And, of course, economic cooperation is an important pillar. As I mentioned, we have the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement, which was signed in 2009. After 16 years, the world economy has changed a lot, and we are looking at upgrading this Agreement.
We are also implementing various development initiatives. For example, under the India-ASEAN cooperation, two months ago, we inaugurated the Centre for Excellence in Software Training and Development (CESDT) at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology in Ho Chi Minh City.
This is an India-ASEAN cooperation project implemented in Vietnam. In addition, the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Framework also supports India-Vietnam cooperation, through which we implement about 10 community projects every year in Vietnam. These are socio-economic development projects in localities, bringing direct benefits to people, such as building classrooms, charity houses, rural infrastructure, etc.
Recently, we also inaugurated the Information Technology and Foreign Language Center (also known as the Military Software Park), belonging to the Information Officer School (University of Information and Communications), belonging to the Information and Communications Corps.
As such, many cooperative activities are being implemented and the partnership is being strengthened. We believe that the synergy of the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the India-ASEAN Strategic Partnership is bringing new ideas for cooperation – some implemented through the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, others bilaterally between the two countries.
We are expanding our cooperation to new areas, including defence. We are also jointly advancing a number of initiatives under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
Finally, people and culture are important factors in India's relations with Southeast Asian countries and play a key role in efforts to strengthen India-Vietnam and India-ASEAN relations.
As the Ambassador just mentioned, the bilateral trade turnover is currently at 15 billion USD, a positive figure but there is still much potential for development. India's population has recently surpassed China's, but the trade turnover between Vietnam and China has exceeded 100 billion USD in recent years. This shows that our two countries can do better. So, in your opinion, which areas still have potential for development?
Ambassador Sandeep Arya: On trade, the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. We expect this to create a new mechanism that is simple, user-friendly and more preferential for goods from both sides. This is an important government-level initiative.
We are also actively promoting economic cooperation and expanding market access in areas such as agriculture, health and digital technology through joint working groups between India and Vietnam. These groups are working to explore new opportunities to enhance economic cooperation. Some results have been achieved, some activities are underway. In 2025, you will see more cooperation between the two countries.
In addition to the efforts of the Government, we believe that the business communities of the two countries also need to proactively move closer together. Currently, businesses from both sides are discussing a number of very potential projects.
A few months ago, VinFast announced plans to build a manufacturing and assembly plant in India, and the project is underway. We also have a number of large Indian corporations that are very interested in the Vietnamese market.
For example, HCL Tech, one of India’s leading IT companies, has a presence in Vietnam with nearly 800 employees. They are developing software and providing IT services in Vietnam for the global market. Thus, Indian and Vietnamese businesses are increasingly interested in exploring each other’s markets and collaborating on global projects. This is a very encouraging sign, promising many development opportunities in the future.
Ambassador Arya introduces the film "Love in Vietnam". A result of cooperation between Vietnam and India, the film is expected to be released in 2025. Photo: Le Anh Dung
Potential for tourism expansion
Another area of cooperation that is developing strongly is tourism. Vietnam has witnessed a remarkable growth in the number of tourists from India. In 2024, India became Vietnam's sixth largest tourist market. Could you please share the reasons for this growth? And conversely, what policies does India have to attract Vietnamese tourists?
Ambassador Sandeep Arya: Tourism is a very dynamic and potential area of cooperation between the two countries. I think that after the COVID-19 pandemic, both countries, especially in the tourism sector, have started to pay more attention to each other. Direct flights between the two countries play an important role in promoting tourism.
One important factor that I would like to mention is that the youth and middle class in India are playing an increasingly important role in promoting tourism. They have the economic means and the desire to explore the world. Besides, the understanding of languages, international integration and increasing exchanges between the two countries also contribute to promoting tourism.
As a result, by 2024, Vietnam welcomed more than 500,000 Indian tourists, making India Vietnam’s sixth largest tourist market. This growth was due to a number of factors, including: convenient air connectivity, e-visa policies, and efforts by travel companies to offer attractive travel packages. These travel packages often combine sightseeing with many other activities, such as meetings, seminars, resort tourism, weddings, etc.
In all these areas, the two sides are actively implementing many activities. The civil aviation authorities of the two countries have recently agreed to increase the number of flights. Just yesterday, VietJet announced the opening of new routes to the two Indian cities of Bengaluru and Hyderabad, starting from March this year. Currently, VietJet operates flights to six Indian cities. Indian airlines are also considering expanding their flight networks between the two countries.
On the Indian side, we are very happy with the growth in the number of tourists from Vietnam. Last year, about 57,000 Vietnamese tourists visited India, and the number continues to rise. If this trend continues, we can expect strong growth in bilateral tourism in the coming time.
We are working hard to promote attractive destinations in India. For example, Bodhgaya and other Buddhist sites are very popular with Vietnamese tourists. In addition, the "Golden Triangle" of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur is also a popular destination.
We are introducing new destinations in India through our survey programs for travel companies, focusing on mountainous areas, historical sites, and scenic spots. We expect the number of tourists to continue to increase in the coming time.
In addition, many other activities are being implemented to promote tourism. Cinema is one example. We have organized Indian Film Festivals in Hanoi and Hai Phong. A joint film between the two countries is also being produced, called Love in Vietnam. The film features an Indian actor and a Vietnamese actress from Ho Chi Minh City, and was shot in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Da Lat, and Phu Yen. We hope to release the film by the middle of this year.
In fact, cinema is a very important driver of tourism, and this has been widely recognized abroad. For example, famous Indian filmmaker Yash Chopra is credited with boosting tourism from India to Switzerland. The Swiss government even erected a statue of him in Interlaken, a top European tourist destination, to recognize his contributions.
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dai-su-an-do-dua-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-lam-tru-cot-hop-tac-moi-2370823.html
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