A first in 15 years: Indian Army chief to visit Vietnam

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Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh will July 26 begin a four-day visit to Vietnam - the first such in the past 15 years - to 'boost' bilateral military ties between the two countries, an army spokesperson said Wednesday.

During the visit, the army chief will call on Vietnam Defence Minister General Phung Quang Than.

The trip, which comes 15 years after then army chief General Shankar Roy Chowdhury's visit to Vietnam in 1995, will take Singh to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh cities.

Singh will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Colonel-General Nguyen Khac Nghien and interact with various military commanders 'to boost the defence cooperation between the two countries', the spokesperson said.

Vietnam and India share a strategic partnership, including cooperation on enhancing regional security and fighting terrorism, transnational crime and drug trafficking.

The two countries are members of the six-nation Mekong-Ganga Cooperation initiative that also includes Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos and which is meant to enhance close ties between the member nations.

Vietnam has supported India's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council and to join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

[Deletedid1]

sorry wrong section