From March 14 to March 19, 2025, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyễn Đức Hải led a delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly on an official visit to the Republic of India.
The visit took place in the context of the continued strong development of the Vietnam–India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, especially following Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s visit to India in August 2024. Political trust between the two countries has been strengthened through regular high-level visits, exchanges at various levels, and bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Bilateral trade turnover in 2024 reached approximately $15 billion, marking a 3.9% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
India currently has 380 active investment projects in Vietnam, with a total capital of $1.067 billion, ranking 24th among the 144 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Cooperation in science and technology, education and training, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has been strengthened and expanded. Both countries also maintain good coordination in regional and international forums. India values its relationship with Vietnam and seeks to enhance ties with ASEAN and expand its influence in the region through Vietnam.
Relations between the two legislative bodies have also been consolidated and developed effectively and deeply. The cooperation agreement signed in December 2016 provides a legal framework for collaboration between the two sides. Both countries have maintained exchanges and interactions at high levels, between committees and friendship groups, through flexible online and in-person formats. In recent National Assembly terms, Vietnam has consistently established the Vietnam-India Parliamentary Friendship Group.
At regional and international parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), both sides closely cooperate and coordinate positions on regional and global issues of common concern.
Meeting with Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla
On March 17, within the framework of his visit, Nguyễn Đức Hải, a member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, met with Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
During the meeting, Vice Chairman Hải conveyed greetings from National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn to Speaker Om Birla and expressed his pleasure at visiting India—a country with a long-standing traditional friendship and an important Comprehensive Strategic Partner of Vietnam.
Vice Chairman Hải congratulated India on its impressive economic, military, and scientific achievements under the leadership of the government and parliament, led by the National Democratic Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He emphasized that Vietnam consistently values its relationship with India and hopes to further strengthen political trust and friendship through this visit, enhancing practical cooperation in various fields.
Speaker Om Birla welcomed Vice Chairman Hải and the Vietnamese delegation, affirming that the visit contributes to further strengthening bilateral relations. He expressed satisfaction with the strong growth in Vietnam-India relations over the past 50 years, particularly through frequent high-level exchanges at the governmental and parliamentary levels, as well as people-to-people interactions.
Speaker Om Birla praised Vietnam’s recent economic growth and development achievements, noting that India is also focusing resources on national development with the goal of becoming a developed country. He stated that both nations have great opportunities to further expand cooperation in various areas.
Both sides agreed to strengthen high-level and other parliamentary exchanges, support the expansion of bilateral cooperation in key pillars such as politics, defense-security, economy-trade-investment, agriculture, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
Speaker Om Birla appreciated and agreed with Vice Chairman Hải’s proposal to boost bilateral trade and investment, aiming for a two-way trade target of $20 billion in the near future. He also emphasized the need to open markets further, strengthen agricultural cooperation—an area where both countries share common interests—promote cultural and tourism cooperation, and enhance air connectivity.
Vice Chairman Hải thanked India for its continued financial and technical support in restoring the Cham temple complexes at Mỹ Sơn, a UNESCO heritage site. He also urged increased mutual investment, inviting major Indian corporations to invest in Vietnam, particularly in strategic infrastructure, digital infrastructure, and high technology.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation between their legislative bodies by facilitating exchanges between specialized parliamentary committees, sharing experiences in law-making, especially in digital transformation, and promoting the application of technology to enhance parliamentary operations.
Speaker Om Birla announced that the Lok Sabha would soon establish the India-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group and expressed India’s willingness to support Vietnam in legislative training. He also invited Vietnamese parliamentary delegations to visit India for experience sharing.
Other Activities
On March 18, Vice Chairman Hải and the Vietnamese delegation held meetings with the Lok Sabha’s Finance Committee and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and visited the Vietnamese Embassy, where they met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in India.
Meeting with the Lok Sabha Finance Committee:
Vice Chairman Hải praised the strong development of the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, particularly in financial cooperation, budgeting, and public financial management. He noted that both Vietnam and India are rapidly developing economies aiming to become modern industrial nations, facing similar challenges in financial and budget management. Therefore, enhancing cooperation and sharing experiences in financial legislation, taxation, and budget transparency is crucial.
He proposed that the Finance Committees of both countries’ parliaments strengthen cooperation, conduct capacity-building training, and share experiences in public debt management, investment mobilization policies, economic zone incentives, and the application of digital technology in finance and budgeting.
Chairman of the Finance Committee Bhartruhari Mahtab highlighted the positive growth in Vietnam-India relations across multiple sectors, including defense-security, trade-investment, and culture-education. He and other committee members expressed admiration for Vietnam, particularly for President Hồ Chí Minh and General Võ Nguyên Giáp, and reiterated their commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation.
Meeting with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR):
Vice Chairman Hải commended ICCR for its vital role in promoting India’s “soft power” globally and its contributions to cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and India.
He proposed that India continue providing funding and expertise for the restoration and conservation of Cham towers in Quảng Nam province and consider expanding such projects to other provinces. He also suggested training Vietnamese archaeologists and restoration engineers, supporting the construction of an Indochina Buddhist Institute, and endorsing Vietnam’s nomination of the Yên Tử-Vĩnh Nghiêm-Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc relic complex as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
ICCR’s Executive Director expressed appreciation for Vietnam’s support for cultural cooperation, recognizing Vietnam as one of ICCR’s key partners. He proposed that both countries enhance cultural exchanges, organize cultural festivals, and encourage Vietnamese students to enroll in ICCR-sponsored courses in arts, film, music, Hindi, English, and traditional medicine.
Visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in India:
Vice Chairman Hải also visited the Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi, where he met with embassy staff, Vietnamese students, and the local Vietnamese community. He provided updates on Vietnam’s domestic situation, highlighting the country’s economic growth and improved living standards in 2024 and early 2025. He emphasized that Vietnam is entering a new era of national development.
He encouraged the Vietnamese community in India to continue their studies and work, especially in technology, science, and engineering, to contribute to Vietnam’s progress. He also urged them to integrate well, comply with local laws, and serve as a bridge for Vietnam-India relations.
For embassy staff, Vice Chairman Hải expressed confidence that they would remain united and professional, fulfilling Vietnam’s diplomatic mission effectively.
Visit to HCL Technologies:
On the same day, Vice Chairman Hải visited HCL Technologies in India, discussing digital transformation, big data, and AI applications to enhance the efficiency of parliamentary operations.
Tribute to President Hồ Chí Minh:
Earlier, the Vietnamese delegation laid flowers at the statue of President Hồ Chí Minh in G20 Park, New Delhi.
Sources:
Vietnam National Assembly Portal, Vietnam News Agency, Nhân Dân Newspaper, Voice of Vietnam (VOV).
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