New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on an official visit to Vietnam and the Republic of Korea from May 18 to 21 to strengthen India’s strategic and defence partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Raksha Mantri will visit Vietnam from May 18 to 19, followed by South Korea from May 19 to 21. Ahead of his departure, Singh said the visit aims to further deepen bilateral engagement with the two Asian nations, with focus areas including strategic military cooperation, defence industrial partnerships and maritime collaboration to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
The visit to Vietnam comes as India and Vietnam mark 10 years of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was recently upgraded to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the state visit of the Vietnamese President to India earlier this month.
During the visit, Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence, General Phan Van Giang. Discussions are expected to focus on expanding defence cooperation and implementing the Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030, signed during Singh’s previous visit in 2022.
The Defence Minister’s visit also coincides with the 136th birth anniversary of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh. Singh will pay tribute by laying a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
In South Korea, Rajnath Singh will hold talks with Republic of Korea Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back to review bilateral defence cooperation and explore new initiatives to strengthen strategic ties. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.
Singh is also scheduled to meet Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Lee Yong-cheol and chair the India-Korea business roundtable during the visit.
The visit will also highlight India’s historic contribution during the Korean War. India had deployed the 60 Parachute Field Ambulance unit of the Indian Army, which treated over two lakh patients and conducted nearly 2,500 surgeries during the conflict. India also chaired the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission and deployed the Custodian Force of India for the peaceful repatriation of prisoners of war.
To honour Indian soldiers who served during the Korean War, Rajnath Singh and South Korean Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul will jointly inaugurate the Indian War Memorial on May 21.
The government said the growing convergence between India’s Act East Policy and South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy has opened a new chapter in bilateral relations and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.