Vietnam's President, To Lam, was accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday during his first State Visit to India. The Vietnamese leader was received by PresidentDroupadi Murmuand Prime MinisterNarendra Modiupon his arrival at the presidential palace. This visit marks President To Lam's maiden State Visit to the country since being elected President of Vietnam in April this year.
Ahead of the meeting with PM Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also met Vietnamese President To Lam focusing on boosting the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The talks took place hours after Lam arrived in New Delhi on his three-day visit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Vietnamese leader will hold wide-ranging discussion on Wednesday that is expected to explore ways to shore up bilateral ties in areas of trade, defence and critical technologies.
In their talks, the two leaders are also likely to deliberate on the prevailing situation in West Asia and South China Sea, a region that has witnessed increasing Chinese military muscle-flexing. There have been growing concerns over China's sweeping claims of sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons.
Several countries in the region including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims.
India and many other democratic countries have been pressing for peaceful settlement of the disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea).
In the talks, the two sides are set to explore ways to boost defence cooperation, especially in the maritime domain.
Last year, the two sides inked a pact to set up a framework for submarine search, rescue and support mechanism. They also signed a letter of intent to strengthen bilateral defence industry collaboration.
President Droupadi Murmu is also scheduled to meet Lam. The Vietnamese leader will also visit Bodh Gaya and Mumbai.
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