Ambassador Tshering W. Sherpa: India warmly welcomes General Secretary, President To Lam
WVR - General Secretary, President To Lam, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will pay a state visit to India from May 5-7. On this occasion, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Tshering W. Sherpa gave an interview to The World and Vietnam Report about the significance of the visit and some notable highlights in recent bilateral relations.
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| General Secretary, President To Lam meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the 79th United Nations General Assembly and working visit to the United States, on September 23, 2024 (local time), in New York. (Source: VNA) |
How does the Ambassador assess the goals, significance, and expectations for the upcoming visit of General Secretary, President To Lam to India, especially as the two countries prepare to celebrate 10 years of upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2016–2026)?
It can be said that the upcoming visit to India by General Secretary, President To Lam is an important event for both countries.
India and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1972. This partnership was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016.
Over the past decade, bilateral trade has doubled, connectivity between the two countries has developed strongly, and the partnership across all fields such as politics, defense, security, people-to-people exchanges, and trade has made significant strides.
Moreover, Vietnam is a key partner in India's "Act East" policy, as well as in the Indo-Pacific regional vision.
Both countries believe in peace, prosperity, and stability in the region. Vietnam is also a crucial partner for India within the ASEAN framework.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once said: “The 21st century belongs to India and ASEAN.” This year, 2026, has been chosen as the "ASEAN-India Maritime Cooperation Year." The friendship between the two countries is built on shared values, mutual trust, and solidarity. India is committed to further strengthening the dynamic Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam.
Therefore, the Indian government places special importance on the upcoming visit of General Secretary, President To Lam. This visit, along with his meetings with senior leaders, will add momentum to the already strong and dynamic bilateral relationship.
India warmly welcomes General Secretary, President To Lam.
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| Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Tshering W. Sherpa. (Source: Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs) |
Vietnam and India have a long-standing traditional friendship. Could the Ambassador share some notable highlights in recent bilateral relations?
I would like to highlight a few points about the friendship between India and Vietnam as follows:
Firstly, the political relationship is becoming increasingly strong. Since 2016, leaders of the two countries have had over 25 high-level meetings, reflecting deep political trust and shared strategic interests.
In the field of defense and security, cooperation between the two countries is developing dynamically at all levels. The VINBAX United Nations peacekeeping exercise between India and Vietnam is a prime example of this effective cooperation.
Economically, bilateral trade has doubled in the past decade. However, I believe there is still much potential for further cooperation in the future.
Another significant highlight is the strong development in connectivity. Just a few years ago, there were almost no direct flights between the two countries, but now there are nearly 90 flights per week between India and Vietnam. This is a crucial driver for tourism, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.
Last year, the enshrinement of the Buddha's relics in Vietnam was also a meaningful milestone, further affirming the cultural and spiritual depth in the relationship between the two countries. Additionally, I always believe that the most important factor in any friendship is the people. I have been in Vietnam for six months and have strong faith in the journey of India and Vietnam.
For India-Vietnam relations, one could say "the sky is not the limit." This is a forward-looking and future-oriented relationship. As the Indian Ambassador to Vietnam, I am also seeking new areas of cooperation, strengthening existing relationships across fields, from politics, defense-security, and people-to-people exchanges, to enhancing bilateral trade for both sides.
Our friendship is a long-standing relationship, and it will continue to grow and become even more dynamic. This journey has only just begun. Therefore, let's look forward to the leaders of both sides meeting in Delhi this week.
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| Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, and Mr. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of Defense of India, along with representatives of agencies, units, and soldiers from both countries, attend the opening of the Vietnam-India bilateral exercise on United Nations peacekeeping 2025. (Source: VNA) |
Vietnam and India are continuously promoting economic-trade cooperation, aiming to achieve a bilateral trade turnover of 20 billion USD in the near future. According to the Ambassador, what new fields will become the driving force for cooperation in the coming time?
Bilateral trade between India and Vietnam currently stands at approximately 16 billion USD. This is an encouraging figure, but I believe we can do much more together.
Both Vietnam and India have demographic dividends, an aspirational society, and entrepreneurial skills. These shared values and mutual trust need to be translated into more concrete cooperation outcomes, especially in the economic and trade sectors.
In the future, we need to explore new areas of cooperation such as information and communication technology, innovation, science and technology, cybersecurity, AI, quantum, pharmaceuticals, automotive, transportation, connectivity...
The Indian Government is ready to work closely with Vietnam to realize and explore new areas of cooperation, thereby bringing benefits to the people and society of both countries.
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| Speaker of the Indian House of Representatives Om Birla receives the delegation of the Vietnam-India Friendship Parliamentary Group, December 2023. (Source: Indian Parliament) |
The number of Indian tourists to Vietnam is growing strongly. According to the Ambassador, what should the two countries do to continue promoting people-to-people exchanges and simplify travel procedures for citizens of both sides?
I am not surprised by the strong growth of tourism between the two countries in recent times. This is inevitable.
India and Vietnam are two civilizations with long-standing relations dating back thousands of years. The two countries have exchanged ideas, cultures, and lived together in peace. Buddhism is the sacred bridge that has connected the people of the two countries.
There are two main factors driving the rapid growth of the tourism sector in recent years. Firstly is the simplification of visa procedures. Secondly is connectivity. Imagine, just a few years ago, there were no direct flights between the two countries, and now we have nearly 90 flights per week between India and Vietnam. That is an extraordinary development.
As for the Indian Embassy in Vietnam, we have organized workshops and events for many Vietnamese travel companies and journalists. We believe that tourism must be a two-way street. We are also trying to promote the Buddhist tourism route in India, organizing field trips to India for Vietnamese travel companies and journalists.
In February 2026, we organized a visit for a group of 18 people, including travel companies and journalists, to visit Maharashtra. Or like last week, three content creators and influencers from Vietnam visited Odisha, Bihar, and Delhi.
The Indian Embassy in Vietnam is committed to continuing to enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. We invite our Vietnamese friends to visit the wonderful land of India.
Thank you very much, Ambassador!
