NEW DELHI: Two Indian Navy warships, including the BrahMos-armed stealth frigate INS Udaygiri, concluded a three-day port call at Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, as part of efforts to deepen maritime engagement with Vietnam under India’s Act East policy.
INS Udaygiri and the anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti called at the Vietnamese port from Monday to Wednesday during an operational deployment of the Eastern Fleet in the Indo-Pacific.
"The port call reaffirms the Government of India’s Act East Policy and the vision of MAHASAGAR, reflecting India’s continued commitment towards constructive maritime engagement and cooperation with friendly countries of the region," the Navy said in a statement.
During the visit, Rear Admiral Alok Ananda, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF), held discussions with senior officials of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the Ho Chi Minh City administration on maritime cooperation, professional exchanges and regional security.
INS Udaygiri, commissioned in August last year, is the second Project-17A stealth frigate built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. The warship is equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, long-range surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine warfare weapons and advanced sensors for multi-domain operations.
The visit comes weeks after Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh disclosed at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month that India had signed an agreement to supply BrahMos missiles to Vietnam, making it the second export customer for the missile after the Philippines.
Vietnam has for years sought the shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos missile to bolster its coastal defence capabilities in the South China Sea, where it remains engaged in territorial disputes with China.
Defence cooperation between India and Vietnam has expanded steadily over the past decade through naval exchanges, training programmes, capacity-building initiatives and defence-industrial collaboration.
India had earlier gifted the missile corvette INS Kirpan to the Vietnam People’s Navy, while the two countries maintain regular institutional engagements, including dialogues on defence policy and maritime security.
Earlier this year, New Delhi and Hanoi also agreed to launch a ministerial-level 2+2 dialogue involving their foreign and defence ministers to deepen strategic coordination. Vietnam also joined India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI), further strengthening maritime cooperation between the two countries.