India gifts indigenously-buit-in-service Missile Corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam. This will be a milestone in enhancing the capabilities of Vietnam People’s Navy. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the decision after he held talks with his counterpart from Vietnam General Phan Van Giang on Monday, who is currently on a two-day official visit to India.Â
As part of his engagements, the Defence Minister of Vietnam also visited DRDO headquarters and discussed ways to enhance defence industrial capabilities by cooperation in defence research and joint production.
Progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives was reviewed during the meeting, with both sides expressing satisfaction at the ongoing engagements. Both Ministers identified means to enhance existing areas of collaboration, especially in the field of defence industry cooperation, maritime security and multinational cooperation.
About INS Kirpan
INS Kirpan is a Khukri class missile corvette displacing 1,350 tonnes and was commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991. It has a displacement of close to 1,400 tonnes, a length of 91 meters, a beam of 11 meters, and is capable of speed in excess of 25 knots. The ship is fitted with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface missiles, enabling it to perform a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, according to the Navy.”
Last year Defence Minister handed over 12 high-speed boats for the Vietnamese border guard force under a $100 million Line of Credit (LoC) extended in September 2014. In 2016, India extended another $500 million defence LoC, and discussions are underway to identify the equipment.
India has also announced gifting two simulators and monetary grant towards the setting up of a Language and IT Lab at the Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building in the Vietnamese armed forces.
Defence Minister’s Statement on the Meeting
During the meeting, the Defence Minister reviewed the full range of India-Vietnam defence ties. He highlighted the significance of the India-Vietnam Joint Vision Statement on Defence Partnership and a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Logistics Support, which expand the scope and scale of defence cooperation between the two nations.
Speaking of the importance of the documents, the Defence Minister added, “During my last visit to Vietnam in June 2022, we signed the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement and Joint Vision Statement on India and Vietnam’s Defence Partnership towards 2030. This Joint Vision Statement is now an overarching guiding document for bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries. This statement has enhanced the scope and scale of our current defence cooperation. I believe that this will pave a path for the future.”
Vietnam as an Important Pillar of India’a Act East Policy
Welcoming General Giang and his delegation to India, the President of India Smt. Draupadi Murmu said that India and Vietnam share a rich history of civilizational and cultural linkages spanning over 2000 years. She added that Vietnam is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a key partner of our Indo-Pacific Vision.
She noted that the India-Vietnam ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ has widened the range of bilateral collaboration including in defence and security cooperation, trade and investment relations, energy security, development cooperation, cultural and people-to-people relations. She said that bilateral defence cooperation is one of the strongest elements of this partnership. She was happy to note that India-Vietnam defence engagement spans a wide spectrum, including capacity building, industry cooperation, Peacekeeping, and joint exercises.
China’s growing presence in the South China Sea a common concern
South China Sea is potentially an energy-rich block and a key economic and strategic sub-section of the Indo-Pacific. Vietnam is engaged with China in a long territorial dispute over a section of the South China Sea. China has a growing presence in this disputed area in the recent past.
Therefore, India-Vietnam’s strategic partnership is crucial for India’s Indo-Pacific vision.
