'Our discussion today will further strengthen defence cooperation': Rajnath Singh during bilateral talks in Vietnam

India's Defence Minister met his Vietnamese counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi on May 19, 2...

What Happened

India's Defence Minister met his Vietnamese counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi on May 19, 2026, for bilateral defence talks.
The meeting reviewed the defence partnership and discussed expanded cooperation in maritime security, defence industry collaboration, military training, capacity building, cyber security, UN peacekeeping, and high-level exchanges.
The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India's Military College of Telecommunications Engineering and Vietnam's Telecommunications University, covering cooperation in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technology.
The visit marks the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2016.
India and Vietnam recently upgraded their bilateral relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the state visit of Vietnam's President to India on May 5–7, 2026 — just two weeks before this defence ministerial meeting.

Static Topic Bridges

Evolution of India-Vietnam Strategic Partnership

India and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1972. During the Cold War, India supported Vietnam's reconstruction efforts, and the relationship was guided by shared Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) principles. The partnership evolved structurally after India's economic liberalisation: upgraded to a "Strategic Partnership" in 2007, elevated to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" (CSP) in 2016, and most recently upgraded to an "Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" (ECSP) in May 2026.

2007: Strategic Partnership — institutionalised annual exchanges and defence cooperation frameworks.
2016: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership — deepened under India's Act East Policy; includes defence credit lines, training, and maritime cooperation.
May 2026: Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership — the highest tier of bilateral engagement, reflecting convergences in the Indo-Pacific.
India has extended Defence Lines of Credit to Vietnam; Vietnam operates BrahMos-equipped (or BrahMos-interest-registered) platforms and uses Indian-supplied offshore patrol vessels.

Connection to this news: The defence ministerial meeting in Hanoi is the first major bilateral engagement under the newly upgraded ECSP, translating the diplomatic upgrade into concrete defence deliverables.

India's Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific

India's Look East Policy, launched in 1991, was reconceptualised as the Act East Policy in 2014 to signal a more proactive and security-oriented engagement with Southeast and East Asia. The policy prioritises ASEAN centrality, maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, connectivity (ASEAN-India connectivity projects), and defence partnerships with key Southeast Asian states. Vietnam is a central pillar of this policy given its strategic position on the South China Sea's western coast.

Act East Policy operates through ASEAN Summit participation, East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and bilateral security arrangements.
India's Indo-Pacific strategy, outlined in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) launched at EAS 2019, has seven thematic pillars including maritime security, maritime ecology, and maritime resources.
India supports a rules-based order in the South China Sea consistent with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
India's engagement in the South China Sea includes oil exploration blocks in partnership with Vietnamese state energy company PetroVietnam — a partnership that began in 2011 and has been maintained despite regional tensions.

Connection to this news: Vietnam is both a strategic asset and a convergence point for India's Act East ambitions — cooperation on maritime security, AI, and quantum technology reflect the policy's deepening into technology-driven security domains.

South China Sea: Jurisdiction, Disputes, and the UNCLOS Framework

The South China Sea is one of the world's most contested maritime spaces, carrying approximately $3.37 trillion in global trade annually. China claims approximately 90% of the South China Sea based on its "Nine-Dash Line," a claim that was ruled inconsistent with UNCLOS by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016 (Philippines v. China). Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have overlapping claims. Freedom of navigation and the UNCLOS-based rules-based order are central to both India's and Vietnam's stated positions.

UNCLOS (1982): The primary international framework governing maritime zones — establishes 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and continental shelf rights.
PCA ruling (2016): The tribunal ruled China's Nine-Dash Line has no legal basis under UNCLOS; China rejected the ruling.
India ratified UNCLOS in 1995. India's position: all states should resolve maritime disputes peacefully in accordance with UNCLOS.
Vietnam's EEZ extends 200 nautical miles into the South China Sea, overlapping with China's Nine-Dash Line claim.

Connection to this news: India-Vietnam maritime security cooperation is explicitly framed around "freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific" — diplomatic language that aligns both countries against unilateral expansionism in the South China Sea without naming China directly.

AI and Quantum Technology in Defence: Significance of the MoU

The MoU signed between India's Military College of Telecommunications Engineering (MCTE, Mhow) and Vietnam's Military Telecommunications University on Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technology marks the first such defence-academic-technological bilateral under the ECSP. Quantum technology encompasses quantum computing, quantum communication (theoretically unhackable through quantum key distribution), and quantum sensing. AI in defence includes autonomous systems, intelligence analysis, electronic warfare, and cybersecurity.

India's iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies) framework with the US extends to Quantum and AI; the Vietnam MoU suggests India is building parallel technology diplomacy in Southeast Asia.
Quantum communication (using quantum key distribution — QKD) is increasingly relevant to secure military communications, a direct application for both armies.
India's National Quantum Mission (NQM), launched in 2023 with a budget of ₹6,003 crore over 8 years, targets quantum computers of 50–1000 physical qubits and satellite-based quantum communication by 2031.
The MCTE Mhow is the Indian Army's premier institution for signals and telecommunications training, making it the appropriate partner for a defence-technology exchange.

Connection to this news: The AI and Quantum MoU elevates India-Vietnam defence cooperation beyond traditional hardware and training into emerging technology domains — a sign of the partnership's maturation.

Key Facts & Data

India-Vietnam diplomatic relations established: 1972.
Strategic Partnership: 2007; Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: 2016; Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: May 2026.
MoU signed: Military College of Telecommunications Engineering (India) and Telecommunications University (Vietnam) — on AI and Quantum Technology.
Vietnam's President's state visit to India: May 5–7, 2026 (occasion for ECSP upgrade).
South China Sea trade flow: approximately $3.37 trillion annually.
PCA ruling against China's Nine-Dash Line: July 2016 (Philippines v. China).
India ratified UNCLOS: 1995.
India's National Quantum Mission budget: ₹6,003 crore over 8 years (launched 2023).
UN peacekeeping cooperation: both India and Vietnam are active contributors to UN peacekeeping operations.