Hanoi (VNA)𒐪 – The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on September 27 held their 5th annual dialogue in Hanoi, discussing key issues in the two countries’ relations in a new world order.

Speaking at the event, Director of the VASS’s International Cooperation Department Nguyen Thanh Ha said that amid the changing situation in the world and the region, the regular exchange and updating of information between the two agencies is necessary to adapt and act for the common benefit. Ha held that the two countries’ cooperation has yet to be commensurate with their comprehensive strategic partnership. He expected that participants would propose new solutions to improve the bilateral cooperation and develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and India, meeting the expectations of the governments and people of the two countries. Ambassador Soumen Bagchi, Acting Director of the Indian Council of World Affairs, affirmed that the long-standing cooperative relationship between ICWA and VASS originated from the Asian Relations Conference in 1947 and has been strengthened through subsequent events. In his speech at the ICWA in August 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that recent leadership changes in both India and Vietnam have given new impetus to the bilateral relations, particularly in trade, technology and defence ties, the ambassador noted. Regarding international cooperation, India highly appreciates Vietnam's role in global forums and hopes that Vietnam will join alliances such as the International Solar Alliance, he said. The ambassador hopes that scholars from both countries will further study to find more effective cooperation opportunities in the future. Prof., Dr. Prabir De from the ASEAN- India Centre at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) in New Delhi said that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and Vietnam can boost bilateral exports, strengthen global value chains, reduce trade barriers, encourage investment and improve regulations on intellectual property, e-commerce and government procurement. He suggested the two countries consider establishing a joint research group to implement this agreement. As both India and Vietnam are working to enhance stability and growth in the Indo-Pacific region, the bilateral cooperation will become more important than ever, especially in areas such as trade, connectivity, maritime security and technology, he said. Other potential cooperation spheres include economy, digital technology, climate change response, science and technology, support for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and semiconductor industry, the scholar suggested./.