Hanoi

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval attended the state funeral of Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam who died on July 19, in Hanoi on Thursday. Doval personally offered condolences to Vietnamese President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the General Secretary’s family.

During their meeting on Wednesday, PM Pham Minh Chinh thanked India for sending high-ranking officials to the funeral and for the Indian Parliament’s tribute to Trong on July 22. Chinh noted this gesture highlighted the close friendship and deep bond between Vietnam and India.

PM Chinh also suggested further collaboration to advance the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He emphasized the potential for growth in fields like science, technology, telecommunications, and digital technology. NSA Doval acknowledged General Secretary Trong’s significant role in strengthening the Vietnam-India relationship and praised him as a respected leader. He assured that India values the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam and aims to enhance it, particularly in defense, security, and trade, while exploring new areas of cooperation as proposed by Hanoi.

India-Vietnam relations have strengthened since the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was established during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2016 visit to Hanoi. PM Modi continues to view Vietnam as a key part of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Indo-Pacific strategy, focusing on expanding bilateral ties and defense collaboration.