Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung in New Delhi on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit.
Vietnam is among the 10 BRICS partner countries participating in the summit, which India is hosting under its 2026 chairmanship. The summit is being held on September 12 and 13 under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
India and Vietnam share an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with cooperation extending across several areas, including defence and security, fintech, critical minerals and other emerging sectors. Both countries have also maintained close coordination on regional and international issues through multilateral platforms.
The meeting between Modi and Hung comes at a time when India and Vietnam are looking to further strengthen their strategic and economic relationship. Vietnam is viewing its participation in the BRICS summit as an opportunity to deepen ties with India and strengthen engagement with other BRICS members and partner countries.
Hung is expected to present Vietnam’s views and proposals on international cooperation, economic growth, sustainable development and ways to address major global challenges during the summit.
The India-Vietnam relationship received a major boost earlier this year when Vietnamese President To Lam paid a state visit to India in May. During the visit, the two countries agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, based on shared vision, strategic convergence and substantive cooperation.
Modi also held separate bilateral meetings with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on the sidelines of the BRICS gathering.
India’s BRICS chairmanship comes against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, climate change and growing resource pressures. New Delhi has said its focus is on converting the expanded representation of BRICS into practical cooperation and tangible outcomes while building consensus among its diverse members.
BRICS currently has 11 members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. The grouping also has 10 partner countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Uganda and Uzbekistan.
The Modi-Hung meeting is expected to further strengthen India-Vietnam cooperation as both countries seek greater engagement in trade, technology, defence and emerging strategic sectors.
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