New Delhi, Sep 12 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Hung on Saturday met on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit here and reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties.
During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further the India-Vietnam partnership. PMs Modi and Hung also discussed various regional and global issues of mutual importance, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"The meeting provided an opportunity for both leaders to review the progress made in bilateral ties, which were elevated to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the State Visit of H.E. Mr To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to India in May 2026," it said.
PM Modi welcomed Vietnam's participation in the BRICS Summit as a partner country. Prior to the meeting, the two leaders warmly greeted each other and PM Modi met the delegation accompanying Le Minh Hung.
"India and Vietnam share a time-tested friendship rooted in shared civilizational heritage, mutual trust and understanding. Vietnam is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy and an important partner in India's broader engagement with Southeast Asia," the MEA mentioned in a statement.
As BRICS chair in 2026, India is set to host the two-day BRICS Summit here from Saturday, bringing together leaders of BRICS members, partner countries and outreach invitees.
India’s BRICS chairship is guided by the theme: 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', reflecting PM Modi's vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of "Humanity First." Beyond these areas, the leaders will exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on common priorities and share perspectives on global and regional matters of mutual importance.
BRICS comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The partner countries are: Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Last month, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita called on the Vietnamese Prime Minister and thanked him for his guidance on advancing bilateral cooperation between the two nations and translating high-level commitments into concrete results.
Vietnamese President To Lam visited India in May and met PM Modi, with talks focused on the areas of defence and security, trade and investment, science and technology, development partnership, maritime cooperation, critical and rare earth minerals, space, renewable energy, including atomic energy, culture and people-to-people linkages.
The two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral ties to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They announced a target to expand bilateral trade to $25 billion by 2030. Vietnam has joined the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).