India hands over 12 High Speed Guard Boats to Vietnam

"It gives me great pleasure to join this historic ceremony marking the successful completion of the project to build 12 High Speed Guard Boats under the USD 100 million Defence Line of Credit by Government of India," he said.

The Minister said that the initial five boats were manufactured at the L&T Shipyard in India and the balance seven in Hong Ha Shipyard.

Singh is confident that this will be a precursor to many more cooperative defence projects between India and Vietnam.

"This project is a glowing example of our Make in India- Make for the World mission. We would be greatly pleased if close friends like Vietnam become part of our Defence Industries transformation through enhanced Defence Industry cooperation," he said.

India has handed over the Guard Boats to Vietnam amid reports of Chinese naval vessels moving close to oil rigs in the South China Sea being jointly developed by India and Vietnam.

The boats are constructed under the Centre's USD 100 million Defence Line of Credit to Vietnam.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry said this project is significant in the context of the growing defence industry cooperation with Vietnam and exemplifies Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India, Make for the World.

India and Vietnam on Wednesday signed the 'Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030' which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation between the two countries.

The Joint Statement was signed during the bilateral talks held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang.

Wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements and regional and global issues were held between the two sides, Defence Ministry said.

India and Vietnam also inked a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Logistics Support.

In these times of increasing cooperative engagements between the defence forces of the two countries, this is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support and is the first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country it said.

Both Ministers also agreed for early finalisation of the $US 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam.

The Defence Minister also announced the gifting of two simulators and monetary grant towards setting up of Language and IT Lab at Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building of Vietnamese Armed Forces.