NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai met with Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha (lower house) Om Birla on March 17 as part of his visit to India from March 14-19, aiming to deepen political trust and boost cooperation across a variety of fields.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai congratulated India on its impressive development under the leadership of the government and parliament, with the National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), at its core. He highlighted India’s significant achievements in the economy, military, and science and technology, which have strengthened its regional and global influence.

Hai reaffirmed Vietnam’s unwavering policy of prioritizing relations with India and expressed hope that his visit will further consolidate the strong friendship and political trust between the two countries, paving the way for deeper and more substantive cooperation.

Speaker Om Birla welcomed the robust growth of Vietnam-India relations over the past five decades, characterized by regular high-level exchanges and expanding people-to-people connections. He praised Vietnam's economic progress and noted that India, too, is channeling resources toward its goal of becoming a developed nation. Birla emphasized that both countries have significant opportunities to expand collaboration across various fields.

The two leaders agreed to intensify delegation exchanges at all levels and enhance cooperation between their parliamentary leaders. They also pledged to beef up co-operation in key areas, including politics, defence-security, trade-investment, agriculture, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

On economic ties, Birla supported Hai’s proposal to boost bilateral trade and investment, working towards the US$20 billion trade target. Both sides committed to expanding market access and enhancing agricultural cooperation, given their shared strengths in the sector. They also agreed to promote cultural and tourism partnerships by increasing flight routes, diversifying tourism offerings, and fostering greater air connectivity.

Hai thanked India for its continued financial and technical support in restoring the Cham tower complexes at My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site. He called for increased Indian investment in Vietnam, particularly in strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, and high technology.

Both sides also consented to strengthen parliamentary cooperation by promoting exchanges between specialized committees, particularly in areas such as digital transformation, the development of a digital parliament, and the application of technology to enhance legislative efficiency. Speaker Birla announced that the Lok Sabha would soon establish an India-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group and expressed readiness to support Vietnam in training legislative staff.

The same day, Hai met with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), where he congratulated the agency on its key contributions to India’s development and its presidency of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) for the 2024-2027 term. He praised the effective cooperation between the State Audit Office of Vietnam and the CAG, reaffirming the Vietnamese National Assembly’s support for their continued partnership in fostering a transparent and sustainable financial system.

Hai proposed renewing the bilateral cooperation agreement on auditing, expanding professional training programs, and sharing best practices to improve audit quality in parliamentary oversight. He also suggested cooperation in emerging areas such as digital environment auditing and auditing for sustainable development goals.

Comptroller and Auditor General S. Sanjay Murthy shared India’s experience in auditing, particularly in leveraging science, technology, and digital transformation to enhance auditing effectiveness.

Vietnam viewed as a priority in India's Act East policy

VOV.VN - The Secretary (East) at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has highlighted Vietnam as one of the first countries with which India has engaged in a multi-dimensional manner as part of the South Asian nation’s Act East policy.