India hosts Vietnamese army for its first field training exercise abroad | India News

NEW DELHI: In its first field training exercise in a foreign country, a Vietnam People’s Army contingent has been hosted by India in tune with the expanding defence ties between the two countries with an eye firmly on China.
The three-week exercise “VINBAX”, which concluded at Chandimandir on Thursday, focussed on several areas, including deployment of engineering and medical teams in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations. The final mission, nicknamed ‘Men in Blue’, was structured around setting up a base in a remote African location faced with myriad challenges.
“What made the exercise unique was that it was the first time ever that the Vietnamese Army was undertaking a field training exercise on foreign soil. The fact that Vietnam chose India for this honour, speaks volumes about the value the two countries place on their mutual relationship,” army spokesperson Colonel Sudhir Chamoli said.
“Soldiers of the two armies rubbed shoulders with each other, learning and sharing best practices. Vietnam has deployed a contingent in UN peacekeeping operations for the first time in South Sudan, while India has a long and rich tradition of contributing to such missions,” he added.

The exercise came close on heels of defence minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Vietnam in June when India also handed over 12 high-speed guard boats built under a $100-million line of credit to the country. The two countries also inked a “joint vision” document to “significantly enhance the scope and scale” of their bilateral defence ties by 2030.
India has assured Vietnam of all possible help in modernising its armed forces, including weapon supplies, training of its fighter pilots and submariners, and enhancing its maritime capabilities. Towards this end, India has also offered the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles as well as the Akash surface-to-air missile defence systems to the country.