NEW DELHI: Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang was given the traditional welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Saturday where he was greeted warmly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind.
President Quang, accompanied by his wife Nguyen Thi Hien and a high-level political and business delegation, arrived in New Delhi Friday evening after a brief stopover in the sacred Buddhist town of Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
Vietnam is seen as a key player in India’s Act East policy, and the two nations upgraded their relationship to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Hanoi in 2016. During that visit, Modi also extended a $500 million line of credit to buy defence equipment, which raised flags in Beijing, which sees Vietnam as part of its sphere of influence.
After the traditional wreath laying ceremony at Rajghat, President Quang and Prime Minister met before the delegation talks and discussed steps to further strengthen the relationship as well as other bilateral and regional issues. Subsequently, the two side exchanged three MoUs on economic and trade promotion, agriculture, and nuclear cooperation. This was followed by the Vietnam - India Business Forum, and some other engagements and meetings with senior officials.
President Quang leaves for Hanoi Sunday afternoon.