Army Chief Gen Rawat to embark on 4-day visit to Vietnam Thursday

Chief of Army Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat will embark on a four-day visit to Vietnam on Thursday with an aim to bolster defence cooperation between the two strategic partners, officials said.

They said Gen. Rawat will hold talks with the top brass of the military establishment of Vietnam including Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich.

He will also visit a number of key military formations and establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

"The visit will be yet another milestone in giving impetus to the strategic partnership between India and Vietnam and taking forward the military-to-military cooperation to the next level," said an Army spokesperson.

Gen. Rawat's visit to Vietnam comes two days after President Ram Nath Kovind paid a three- day visit to that country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Vietnam in 2016 during which the relationship was upgraded to comprehensive strategic partnership.

Defence cooperation between the two countries has increased "exponentially" over the last few years through exchange programmes, training assistance and cooperation on various service specific issues, said the Army Spokesperson.