Recent Current Affairs related to Vietnam

India and Vietnam have designated 2027 as the ‘Year of India-Vietnam Friendship’ to commemorate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The announcement was made during the 19th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) held in New Delhi.

Both nations have committed to achieving a bilateral trade target of $25 billion by 2030.

India finished fourth in the medal tally at the 4th edition of the Pickleball World Cup held in Da Nang, Vietnam. Led by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), the Indian contingent won 41 medals (7 gold, 17 silver, and 17 bronze) competing among 82 nations.

Vietnam topped the standings with 271 medals (116 gold), followed by South Korea and the USA. In the team events, the Indian kids team led by Veer Shah won a silver medal, and Shah received the “Best Captain” award.

In individual events, Bhushan Akut won three gold medals in the 60+ category. Purvansh Patel, Fayrouz Zaidi, and Vivek Reddy also won gold in their respective categories.

Joheirry Mola of the Dominican Republic has been crowned Miss World 2026 at the 73rd edition of the pageant held in Nha Trang, Vietnam. She was crowned by Opal Chuangsri, Miss World 2025 from Thailand.

Nikita Porwal from Madhya Pradesh represented India at the international competition. It is to be noted that the Miss World Organisation (MWO) has scheduled the next edition of the pageant to be hosted in Tanzania in 2027.

Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita has visited Vietnam and Laos to strengthen bilateral partnerships under the ‘Act East Policy’.

During the visit to Vietnam, the Minister visited the Phap Van Pagoda as part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative. In Laos, initiatives were launched for the preservation of the Phlak-Phlam dance and the development of the National Arts College. An MoU was also signed for the restoration of murals at the Wat Pa Khae Temple in Luang Prabang.

The 2nd edition of the bilateral maritime exercise named “SAHYOG HOP-TAC” between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) has concluded off the coast of Chennai.

The ICG deployed 8 ships and 6 aircraft for the exercise, while the VCG was represented by the patrol vessel CSB 8002 and a 6-member delegation.

VinSpace, the aerospace unit of Vietnam-based Vingroup, has signed a launch agreement with SpaceX to deploy its first satellites in 2027 via the Transporter Rideshare Mission of the latter.

The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has signed an MoU with the Vietnam International Financial Center-Da Nang (VIFC-DN) in New Delhi.

The agreement aims to support the development of the international financial centre of Vietnam, promote cross-border investments, and strengthen financial and business linkages between India and Vietnam.

India has won 10 medals including 2 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze at the U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 held in Da Nang, Vietnam.

The championship was organised by the United World Wrestling (UWW). In the Women’s Wrestling (WW) category, Diksha (43 kg) and Garima (73 kg) have won gold medals.

The Government of India has signed an agreement to export BrahMos missiles to Vietnam in a deal valued at ₹6,000 crore ($629 million).

This agreement strengthens bilateral defence and strategic cooperation between the countries. Vietnam is the second overseas buyer of the BrahMos missile system, after the Philippines.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh visited Vietnam to operationalise the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (ECSP). During his visit, he held ministerial-level discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, General Phan Van Giang, and met with the President of Vietnam, To Lam.

He announced that India is committed to establishing an AI laboratory at the Telecommunications University in Nha Trang. Additionally, he visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi on the 136th birth anniversary of the leader.

Vietnam President To Lam has visited India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi to strengthen cooperation in defense, trade, and critical technologies. He held a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. He also met President Droupadi Murmu and Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh.

During the visit, the bilateral ties were elevated to an “Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” (CSP). Both nations have set a target to increase bilateral trade to $25 billion by 2030. A total of 13 MoUs were signed between the two countries.

In Mumbai, President To Lam visited the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and participated in the India-Vietnam Business Forum. At the forum, 27 cooperation agreements were exchanged between firms of Vietnam and India across multiple industries.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released the 38th annual “2026 Special 301 Report” to evaluate the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection of global trading partners. India remains on the Priority Watch List along with 5 other nations.

Vietnam is designated as a Priority Foreign Country (PFC), which represents the highest level of scrutiny. Argentina and Mexico were moved to the Watch List following improvements in regulatory frameworks, while Bulgaria was removed from the report entirely.

The European Union (EU) was added to the report due to concerns regarding Geographical Indications (GI) and pharmaceutical legislation. It is to be noted that the review of Ukraine is suspended due to the ongoing conflict.

The Maharashtra government has signed an MoU with the Vietnam based Vingroup to explore strategic investments across multiple sectors in the state. The proposed investment is worth $6.5 billion (₹54,000 crore) and will be executed over a period of 2 years.

The National Assembly of Vietnam has unanimously elected To Lam as the state president for the 2026–2031 tenure. It is to be noted that he also serves as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).