President Murmu Hosts Vietnam President To Lam at Rashtrapati Bhavan

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday hosted To Lam at Rashtrapati Bhavan during his first State Visit to India, underlining the growing strategic partnership between the two countries.

President Murmu also hosted a banquet in honour of the Vietnamese leader and said India and Vietnam share deep historical, civilisational and cultural ties that continue to strengthen bilateral relations.

Welcoming President To Lam, Murmu said Vietnam occupies an important place in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Indo-Pacific vision within the framework of India’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN.

She appreciated Vietnam’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and reaffirmed India’s commitment to working closely with Vietnam to promote regional peace, stability and cooperation.

The President noted that India-Vietnam ties have expanded significantly in recent years through high-level exchanges, defence and security cooperation, development partnership, and collaboration in sectors such as trade, healthcare, science and technology, and tourism.

She also welcomed the agreements and announcements made during the visit in areas including rare earth minerals, digital and financial technology, culture and education.

Murmu expressed satisfaction over the decision by both countries to further strengthen ties through a “Joint Statement on Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

Highlighting the steady growth in bilateral trade over the past decade, the President said India is keen to further expand economic engagement in a balanced and mutually beneficial manner.

She described defence and security cooperation as important pillars of India-Vietnam relations and said both countries remain committed to addressing shared regional challenges together.

The two leaders agreed that closer cooperation between India and Vietnam would bring substantial benefits to the people of both nations.