<p>Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Giang on Monday with a focus on further boosting bilateral defence ties and reviewing the situation in the South China Sea, a region that has witnessed growing Chinese assertiveness.</p>.<p>The Vietnamese defence minister will begin his two-day visit to India on Sunday.</p>.<p>"The visiting dignitary will hold a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on June 19 to carry forward the India-Vietnam defence cooperation," the defence ministry said.</p>.<p>"Both sides will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," it said in a statement on Saturday.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/chinese-ships-leave-vietnam-waters-after-us-china-talks-1225284.html" target="_blank">Chinese ships leave Vietnam waters after US-China talks</a></strong></p>.<p>Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.</p>.<p>India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea.</p>.<p>India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests.</p>.<p>Relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of 'strategic partnership' during the visit of Vietnam's then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.</p>.<p>In 2016, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vietnam, bilateral relations were further elevated to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership'.</p>.<p>Vietnam has become an important partner in India's Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision. Defence engagements between the two nations include wide-ranging contacts between the services, military-to-military exchanges, capacity building and training programmes.</p>.<p>During Singh's visit to Vietnam in June 2022, a joint vision statement on the India-Vietnam defence partnership and a Memorandum of Understanding on mutual logistics support were inked.</p>.<p>The ministry said both the vision document and the logistic support pact have significantly enhanced the scope and scale of defence cooperation between both countries.</p>.<p>General Giang is also scheduled to visit Agra.</p>
<p>Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Giang on Monday with a focus on further boosting bilateral defence ties and reviewing the situation in the South China Sea, a region that has witnessed growing Chinese assertiveness.</p>.<p>The Vietnamese defence minister will begin his two-day visit to India on Sunday.</p>.<p>"The visiting dignitary will hold a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on June 19 to carry forward the India-Vietnam defence cooperation," the defence ministry said.</p>.<p>"Both sides will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," it said in a statement on Saturday.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/chinese-ships-leave-vietnam-waters-after-us-china-talks-1225284.html" target="_blank">Chinese ships leave Vietnam waters after US-China talks</a></strong></p>.<p>Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.</p>.<p>India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea.</p>.<p>India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests.</p>.<p>Relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of 'strategic partnership' during the visit of Vietnam's then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.</p>.<p>In 2016, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vietnam, bilateral relations were further elevated to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership'.</p>.<p>Vietnam has become an important partner in India's Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision. Defence engagements between the two nations include wide-ranging contacts between the services, military-to-military exchanges, capacity building and training programmes.</p>.<p>During Singh's visit to Vietnam in June 2022, a joint vision statement on the India-Vietnam defence partnership and a Memorandum of Understanding on mutual logistics support were inked.</p>.<p>The ministry said both the vision document and the logistic support pact have significantly enhanced the scope and scale of defence cooperation between both countries.</p>.<p>General Giang is also scheduled to visit Agra.</p>