Hanoi (VNA) – Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha (thelower house) Om Birla’s ongoing three-day visit to Vietnam is marking an important point in the Vietnam - India comprehensive strategic partnership as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bilateraldiplomatic ties (January 7, 1972 – 2022).

Om Birla is making an official visit to Vietnam from April 19-21 at theinvitation of National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, his first visit to the country since he took office in June2019.

Political contacts have strengthened as reflected in severalhigh-level visits by leaders from both sites.

In December 2016, top legislator Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan paid anofficial visit to India during which the Vietnamese NA and the Indian Lok Sabhasigned an agreement, setting the scene for expanding cooperation. Other visitsfrom Vietnam consist of those by Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh in July 2017, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in January 2018 onthe occasion of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, State President Tran Dai Quang inMarch 2018, and Vice State President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh in February 2020.

Last December, Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visitedIndia, the first high-level one between the two countries after twoyears of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit wrapped up in ahigh note, contributing to deepening the bilateral ties in all areas for thebenefit of both peoples.

Visits from India comprise those by PM Narendra Modi in September2016, President Ram Nath Kovind in November 2018, and Vice President VenkaiahNaidu in May 2019.

Vietnam and India have seen growing ties between theirlegislative bodies over the past several years, dedicating to bolstering thelong-standing friendship between the two nations and their comprehensive strategic partnership established in September 2016.

The two legislatures have maintained regular delegationexchanges as well as meetings, both in-person and virtually. Their cooperationhas focused on supervising the implementation of the 2016 agreement, exchangingpublications on legal systems and related issues to strengthen informationsharing and mutual understanding, and exchanging views on global and regionalissues of mutual concern.

On April 15, Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen PhuTrong held phone talks with Indian PM Narendra Modi, during which both sides expressedtheir delight at the robust development of the comprehensive strategic partnership over the years and highly spoke of the mutual assistance they haveprovided for each other to respond to COVID-19.

The two leaders agreed to further heighten political trust,increase high-level delegation exchanges, and enhance cooperation between theCommunist Party of Vietnam and Indian political parties, particularly theruling Indian People’s Party.

Bilateral trade rose by 16 percent in average from 2018 –2013. India is now one of Vietnam’s top 10 trade partners, with the two-waytrade reaching 9.67 billion USD in 2020 and 13.21 billion USD last year.

By the end of 2021, India had invested more than 910 millionUSD in 313 projects in Vietnam, mostly in the fields of energy; mining;agricultural processing; production of sugar, tea and coffee; agricultural chemistry;information and technology; and auto parts.

Indian tourist arrivals to Vietnam grew at an annual rate of25 percent in recent years, from about 85,000 in 2016 to nearly 170,000 in2019. In October 2019, Vietnam and India’s airlines launched directflights between their six cities.

Last year, Vietnamese organisations donated medical suppliesto aid India’s fight against the second COVID-19 wave. The Government of Indiaalso donated to Vietnam 300 oxygen concentrators and 100 tonnes of oxygen as COVID-19 relief while providing the Southeast Asian country with COVID-19treatment drugs and help in vaccine trials./.