Hanoi (VNA) – An official visit to Indiaby National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan from December 8-11 isexpected to help realise the comprehensive strategic partnership between thetwo countries.

The trip will be made at the invitation ofChairman of the Indian Senate Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Speaker of India’sLower House Sumitra Mahajan.

It aims to intensify the countries’ multifacetedcooperation on the threshold of the 45th founding anniversary of diplomaticties (1972) and 10 years since their strategic partnership was established(2007).

The tour is set to beef up connections betweenthe two parliaments, laying a firm foundation for long-term and stablerelations with India.

Vietnam and India boast a friendship that hasbeen nurtured by their leaders throughout history.

In the 1950s, President Ho Chi Minh and PrimeMinister Jawaharlal Nehru affirmed the two peoples’ faithful friendship. Nehruwas one of the first foreign leaders to visit Vietnam after it won the waragainst France in 1954.

President Ho Chi Minh visited India in 1958, andone year later, Indian President Rajendra Prasad made a trip to the SoutheastAsian nation.

The two countries established diplomatic ties onJanuary 7, 1972, opening up a new chapter in bilateral amity. Relations havebeen solidified in past years to become an example of cooperation andfriendship.

In July 2007, Vietnam and India elevated theirties to a strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an officialvisit to Vietnam in September 2016 during which the two sides raised theirrelations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In terms of economic links, India is one of the10 biggest trade partners of Vietnam, which is also a prioritised partner inthe South Asian nation’s “Act East” policy.

Two-way trade has risen, reaching 5.23 billionUSD in 2013, 5.6 billion USD in 2014, and 3.9 billion USD in the first ninemonths of 2016. It is hoped to hit 15 billion USD by 2020.

India ranks 28th among 116 countries andterritories investing in the ASEAN country with 118 valid projects worth 590million USD at present.

Through short- and long-term scholarships, ithas been helping Vietnam in manpower training in various fields such as IT,economics, law, and English.

Relations between their legislative bodies havealso been intensified in recent years as seen through increased exchanges ofinformation, high-level delegations and friendship parliamentary groups. Theyhave created favourable policies for the countries’ friendship and cooperation,especially in politics, security-defence, and science-technology.

At international and regionalinter-parliamentary forums, Vietnamese and Indian legislators have supportedthe viewpoints shared by their country leaders on global events, especially onthe East Sea issue.-VNA