Rajnath Singh congratulates Phan Van Giang on appointment as Vietnam's Defence Minister

New Delhi, April 9 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday extended warm greetings to General Phan Van Giang on his appointment as the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Vietnam, stating that India looks forward to deepening longstanding defence ties.

General Phan Van Giang was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, concurrently serving as Minister of National Defence, on April 8.

Vietnam's 16th National Assembly approved this during its first session, as part of the new government for the 2026–2031 term under Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. He is one of six Deputy Prime Ministers.

Taking to X, Singh said, "Warm congratulations to General Phan Van Giang on his appointment as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam."

He exuded confidence that the India-Vietnam partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength in the years ahead.

"India looks forward to further strengthening our longstanding defence ties and deepening cooperation across security, military exchanges and defence industry collaboration under your continued leadership. Confident that our partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength in the years ahead," the Defence Minister added.

Earlier, on April 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated To Lam on his election as Vietnam's President and expressed readiness to work with him to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

He expressed confidence that the time-tested friendship between the two nations will continue to grow under To Lam's leadership.

"Heartiest congratulations to Mr To Lam on his election as President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I am confident that under his leadership, the time-tested friendship between our two countries will continue to grow from strength to strength. I look forward to working closely together to further deepen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the progress and prosperity of our people and the region," PM Modi posted on X.

PM Modi's congratulatory message came after Vietnam's National Assembly on April 7 confirmed Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) General Secretary To Lam as the country's president for the 2026-2031 tenure.

India and Vietnam share close and warm bilateral relations that are denominated as a comprehensive strategic partnership. India-Vietnam relations were elevated to ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' during PM Modi's visit to Vietnam in 2016, according to the Indian Embassy in Vietnam statement.

The development of India-Vietnam relations is guided by a "Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People" adopted by PM Modi and the then-Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during the Virtual Summit held on December 21, 2020.

In 2022, India and Vietnam celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and both countries are working together actively to further strengthen their multi-dimensional cooperation.

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