India’s Defence Secretary met Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence in New Delhi on September 13, 2026, following a bilateral meeting between the two countries’ Prime Ministers at the BRICS Summit. The meeting aimed to deepen defence and maritime cooperation between the two nations as part of their Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
What was discussed
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Vietnam’s Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang focused on several areas of cooperation. The two officials discussed speeding up joint defence initiatives, sharing technology, and collaborating in defence manufacturing. Both sides stressed the importance of working together to create a peaceful, stable, and rule-based security environment in the region.
A key part of the meeting involved coordination through multilateral platforms. India and Vietnam highlighted the value of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework for addressing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. They noted that expert working groups under this platform play an important role in building collective security arrangements and maintaining regional stability.
The two countries also confirmed plans for their next Defence Policy Dialogue. This dialogue will take place in India during Aero India 2027, a major defence and aerospace exhibition.
What this means for you
This meeting signals stronger security cooperation between India and Vietnam at a time of complex geopolitical shifts in Asia. Closer defence ties between the two countries support India’s broader strategy of building stable partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. The emphasis on maritime cooperation is particularly relevant given the importance of sea routes and regional security dynamics in Southeast Asia. For citizens interested in India’s foreign policy and defence strategy, this reflects how India is working with regional partners through both direct bilateral channels and multilateral forums to address security challenges.