Dr. Rup Narayan Das, a senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (Photo: icsin.org)

The scholar shared his view in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in New Delhi on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties, during which he said bilateral relations have seen comprehensive development in terms of politics, economics, diplomacy, and strategy.

Vietnam and India share a common vision and approach to issues, he said, noting that at international forums, India and Vietnam have reiterated their commitments regarding issues such as the Indo-Pacific and freedom of navigation. In the bilateral framework, the two countries regularly exchange delegations at all levels, the most recent exchange being an official visit to India by Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. The two countries have planned other high-level exchanges in 2022.  

Dr. Das said he does not see any major factors hindering bilateral relations, and he expects more momentum in India-Vietnam relations, including people-to-people exchanges. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese and Indian leaders have maintained close contact through bilateral dialogue mechanisms, which have been held regularly without interruption. He underlined the potential for the two sides to expand tourism cooperation and relations between localities.