Vivek Kumar

 

At a time when we are celebrating the National Day of Vietnam, the history of India-Vietnam relations serves as a reminder about the strong foundation of culture, ideas, and values that have existed between the two countries since centuries. Beyond rhetoric, these bonds bring the people of the two countries together. Given the importance of 2nd September in the Vietnamese history, when in 1945 President Ho Chi Minh, made the historic proclamation of Vietnam's independence after decades of colonial rule, hardship and struggle. The day serves as a reminder of Vietnam's resilience, determination and a collective resolve.

For India, Vietnam's National Day is also an appropriate moment to look back at a relationship that has acquired an unusual depth over time. India and Vietnam are separated by geography, language and many aspects of their social traditions, yet their histories have crossed paths for centuries. Buddhism, trade, art, architecture and intellectual exchange created early links between the two societies. In the twentieth century, the shared experience of the struggle against colonialism brought their political leaderships closer. In the decades thereafter, the friendship has evolved into a wide-ranging partnership involving diplomacy, trade, defence, education, culture and tourism.

 

The cultural roots

 

The simplest way to understand India's connection with Vietnam is to look beyond the modern map of Asia when merchants and monks travelled across the seas connecting the Indian sub-continent with Southeast Asia. Along with merchandise trade, religious traditions, artistic styles, languages, and bodies of knowledge also found their way into the region. Still, these influences were never simply reproduced or copied. They were eventually absorbed, reconceptualised and integrated into local society in ways that demonstrate Vietnam's own cultural sensibilities. The history of Champa demonstrates this process extremely well. Located largely in what is now central and southern Vietnam, the Champa Kingdom maintained extensive cultural and commercial contacts with the Indian subcontinent. The temple complex at My Son is a testimony to these interactions. It reflects the influence of Hinduism that travelled from India to Southeast Asia. However, the people of Champa adapted these heritage and tradition to their own social, religious context thereby creating a distinct cultural legacy. The history of both countries, therefore represents a dynamic process of cultural exchange in which Buddhism offers another example. Although originating in India, it spread across Asia through, traders and pilgrims, gradually adopting distinct Vietnamese characteristics.

 

These historical connections are visible today in Buddhist temples and Champa architectural heritage sites in Vietnam. Such similarities should not be understood simply as evidence of one culture being transferred to another. Instead, they are the evidence of a much longer process of interaction in which traditions, ideas, beliefs, artistic, and religious practices were constantly adapted and reinterpreted. On the other hand, a Vietnamese pilgrim visiting India can travel to Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and other sites linked with the life and teachings of the Buddha. They will witness the places are a crucial part of the historical and spiritual heritage shared by the two societies. In that sense, history gives the two countries a shared cultural memory which lies beyond diplomatic partnership.

 

The friendship in the post-colonial era

The modern political relationship between India and Vietnam took shape during the end of colonialism in Asian history. India had achieved independence in 1947. Vietnam was fighting its own battle for independence. The two countries, therefore understood their aspirations in a way that went beyond conventional foreign policy. Ho Chi Minh travelled to India in 1958, and Nehru visited Hanoi in 1954. The meeting between the two leaders mirrored the political empathy that existed between India and Vietnam based of centuries of colonial rule.

Beyond the historical and cultural ties, the two countries developed political relations in the years following their independence. India was a part of the diplomatic system that developed after the Geneva settlement in 1954. As chair of the International Commission for Supervision and Control, which was constituted under the Geneva Accords, India took on a vital role in overseeing the agreement's implementation and supporting the precarious peace process. This participation reinforced India's position as a diplomatic actor committed to peaceful resolution and dialogue, which also laid the groundwork for its rising engagement with Vietnam.

 

The bonds between the two countries got transformed into official diplomatic partnership on January 7, 1972. This provided an institutional framework through which both countries could expand their cooperation beyond cultural and historical connections. Over the years, they have agreed to build a broader partnership by integrating their economic, political, and strategic interests. The relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2007 and then to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016. The latter was particularly important because Vietnam became India's first Comprehensive Strategic Partner in the ASEAN region. Vietnam's importance to India's engagement with ASEAN and the wider Indo-Pacific consequently increased since this was also the period when India was giving renewed importance to its Act East Policy.

Partnership entering a new phase

The relationship reached another milestone in May 2026, when Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam visited India. During the visit, India and Vietnam agreed to elevate their relationship to an 'Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership'. The two countries also announced a new trade target of US$25 billion by 2030 and agreed to expand cooperation in areas including digital technology, payments, tourism, education, heritage conservation and critical minerals. The importance of this development lies less in the terminology and more in what it says about the changing character of the relationship. India and Vietnam are no longer dealing with one another only on traditional diplomatic questions. Their agenda now includes digital public infrastructure, supply-chain resilience, rare earths, maritime cooperation, technology and new forms of economic connectivity.

India and Vietnam have developed an institutional framework for bilateral engagement which expands beyond high-level diplomatic visits. Regardless of changes in political leadership and shifts in the international environment, the strategic dialogues, regular political consultations and mechanisms for economic cooperation have led to maintaining continuity in the relationship. Such institutionalized engagement has given the partnership resilience and a degree of stability.

Defence cooperation

The defence cooperation has become a fundamental pillar for the two countries. Given the maritime boundaries of India and Vietnam, both countries depend on secure sea lanes for growth and trade. This requires maintenance of international law and regional stability as vital for both the countries. These values have also brought their strategic interests closer.

Over the years, the defence cooperation, has extended to include military exchanges, training, exercises, capacity building, and defence-industry cooperation. Both nations had embraced a 'Joint Vision Statement on Defence Partnership' towards 2030 in 2022. India transferred the domestically built missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam in 2023, which got much media attention. It is however, noteworthy that the importance of defence cooperation goes beyond military equipment. Joint exercise, military training and sharing expertise has further developed the relationships between two countries.

The India-Vietnam defence partnership is anchored on a shared commitment to strategic autonomy, national security, and a stable regional order. Both countries have shown their commitment to an open, balanced Indo-Pacific order through open dialogue and cooperation, rather than by forming confrontational alliances.

 
Trade and emerging areas of cooperation

The economic association has expanded over the last decade as the bilateral trade has surged to around US$16 billion in 2024-2025. While India exports machinery, engineering goods, farm produce, pharma products, and chemicals, Vietnam trades machinery, electronics, rubber, coffee, garments, and chemicals to India. The alliance however, has yet to realize its full potential with regulatory and market access barriers still weighing on momentum. Getting over these hurdles will be crucial if the two nations want to meet the new US$25 billion trade target by 2030.

Furthermore, both countries have the chance to widen their alliance well beyond the traditional sectors. Emerging sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, renewable energy, electric mobility, digital technology, semiconductors, logistics, and critical minerals offer favourable opportunity for collaboration. As the two work to expand and strengthen supply chains, partnership in these sectors could turn crucial. From this point of view, success should not be measured merely in trade volumes, but in the extent to which Indian and Vietnamese companies co-create in the industries that will define Asia's next phase of growth.

From formal diplomacy to people-to-people ties

The long-term association between the countries are built upon real human connection that provides actual strength and endurance. India's developing collaboration with Vietnam is a good case in point wherein it covers training, scholarships, programs, technology initiatives, and quick impactful projects under the Mekong-Ganga framework, along with the support for sectors like software training and IT. Another important area is education, as its influence goes far beyond official visits or short-term initiatives. A Vietnamese student who stays years in India earns more than just a degree. They also experience the core of everyday life of India, its languages, festivals, food, campuses, and friendships that usually last a lifetime. The same holds for Indian students and researchers in Vietnam. These types of interactions develop trust, deepen cultural understanding, and create a fabric of individual connections that none of the official agreement can replicate. Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre was established in Hanoi to promote cultural relations by showcasing Indian dance, literature, languages, philosophy, Yoga and Ayurveda. It also conducts events across Vietnam deepening mutual understanding and appreciation between the two countries.

Yoga has found an overwhelming support in Vietnam, particularly through annual International Day of Yoga events. But cultural diplomacy should not be understood as India simply presenting Indian culture to Vietnamese audiences. The relationship works in both directions. Vietnamese food, Buddhist traditions, music, architecture, history and heritage have increasingly become part of India's understanding of Vietnam. The restoration and preservation of My Son is an especially meaningful example. India has supported conservation work at the UNESCO World Heritage site through the Archaeological Survey of India. The latest agreements also include work on documenting and digitizing Cham manuscripts preserved in Vietnam. India is thus helping Vietnam preserve its heritage, and recognize the historical Indian connections within that legacy.

Buddhism is also a strong pillar of Indian-Vietnam partnership. This strength of the Buddhist connection was demonstrated when sacred relics of the Buddha from India were displayed in Vietnam. This shows how the Buddhism is a testimony to the spiritual link between Vietnam and India. It is significant to deepen such alliance on this foundation through promoting Buddhist studies, pilgrimage circuits, academic partnerships, and religious and cultural ties. This has the potential to cement the already warm relationship between the two countries.

The challenge for the next generation

The older generation of India and Vietnam relations remembers Nehru and Ho Chi Minh, the anticolonial struggle and the political circumstances of the twentieth century. Younger Indians and Vietnamese live in a different era. They are more likely to think about technology, employment, entrepreneurship, climate change, social media, tourism and global opportunities than about the political vocabulary of the Cold War. The relationship must evolve accordingly.

Universities should have a larger role. Joint research, student exchanges, language programmes, scholarships and academic chairs can give young people opportunities to understand one another directly. Technology should also become part of the relationship between the two countries. India and Vietnam are already discussing digital payments, artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, space technology and other emerging areas. In May 2026, the two sides also signed arrangements concerning cross-border QR payments and cooperation on rare earth elements. These may sound contrasting from the Buddhist and cultural connections of the past, but still they remain complementary to each other.

Conclusion

Asia's strategic landscape which is marked by maritime frictions, geopolitical competition, tech disruptions, and supply chain unpredictability is reshaping the Indo-Pacific in significant ways. Keeping this in the background, India and Vietnam have realized that their alliance carries meaning beyond the strictly bilateral ties. Vietnam is an integral part of ASEAN, while India considers ASEAN at the base of its Act East Policy. Both nations have steadily expressed their support for an open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific, in which ASEAN focus stays strong. This partnership opens door for alliance in areas ranging from maritime security and disaster response to climate resilience, and the blue economy. Interestingly, none of this requires either side to curtail its strategic autonomy. The ability to work jointly while protecting independent decision making may be the greatest strength of this partnership. It lets both nations to adapt to a complex region with confidence and flexibility.

Although the partnership between India and Vietnam began with cultural and religious ties, but subsequently got strengthened by common anti-colonial struggles and respect between leaders like Ho Chi Minh and Nehru. Initially, the diplomatic ties in 1972 gave it a formal base, and subsequent upgradation in 2007, 2016, and most recently 2026, have expanded the relationship in both scope and depth. However, the real test of relationship between the two countries is not in the number of agreements signed, it is how much these agreements translate into tangible opportunities for people. The challenge now is turning a rich shared history into a future of lived cooperation across Asia.

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Vivek Kumar is a Research Scholar in the Department of Political Science, University of Delhi

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