New Delhi (VNA) - Indian scholars lauded the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to India from July 30 – August 1 while talking with Vietnam News Agency correspondents based in New Delhi.

Prof. Prabir De from the ASEAN-India Centre at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) hailed the visit as highly effective and ground-breaking.

India considers Vietnam a key pillar in its Look East policy and an important partner in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). The discussions during the visit extensively covered various cooperation areas, including economy, national defence, development partnerships and cultural exchanges. Additionally, both sides also discussed global and regional issues, he said.

Among the agreements signed during the visit, Prabir De said he was impressed by the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in customs capacity building between the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) of India, alongside Vietnam's decision to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

Nutan Kapoor Mahawar, Joint Secretary of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), expressed great pleasure in hosting PM Chinh at the ICWA office on August 1. She said India and Vietnam share a comprehensive strategic partnership encompassing politics, economy, people-to-people relations, and archaeological conservation of ancient Hindu sites in Vietnam.

The two countries enjoy strong trade ties and are exploring further enhancement of their defence cooperation - a strategic partnership. They are also aligned on the Indo-Pacific Vision, she said.

Atul Aneja, Advisor at the Asia Vision Institute, commented that India and Vietnam need to further promote their relationship across various sectors, ranging from economy, army and to national defence, as highlighted by PM Chinh.

India believes that no single pole can determine the global order. Asia must embrace a multipolar approach, he said.

Speaking highly of PM Chinh's sp🐼eech at the ICWA, he noted that the India-Vietnam relationship is growing with deep historical people-to-people relations tracing back to the introduction of Buddhism from India to Vietnam. He also stressed that both nations share core values of equality and welfare./.