India, Vietnam to enhance ties, discuss strategic partnership

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the General Secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, on Wednesday, who is on a four-day state visit, with an aim to boost bilateral ties and discuss possibilities of forging a strategic partnership.

Trong, is visiting the country from November 19 to November 22, and will hold talks with Singh and the rest of the Indian leadership.

Singh will host a banquet in Trong's honour and both are likely to hold talks on India-Vietnam strategic partnership.

Trong also met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and reportedly discussed the progress of bilateral issues between the two nations.

Trong is to also meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President, Hamid Ansari, and several other leaders.

He is also expected to visit Mumbai to address a business community at an event organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry and Assocham.

The two countries have friendly relations and share common interests and multi-dimensional cooperation and mutual benefit.

India and Vietnam signed a bilateral trade agreement in 1978 and a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) in 1997.

India with an investment of over 253 million, ranks 30th in the list of 101 nations and territories investing in Vietnam.