India, Vietnam Conclude Joint Bilateral Maritime Exercise

Indian and Vietnamese Navies concluded the second edition of joint bilateral maritime exercise

In the backdrop of the growing ties and bilateral engagement between India and Vietnam, the Indian Navy undertook the second edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Vietnam Peoples’ Navy at/off Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam from April 13 to April 19.

The maiden edition was conducted from May 21 to May, 2018 at Da Nang, Vietnam. The exercise was undertaken as a part of the ongoing Overseas Deployment of Eastern Fleet ships to South East Asian countries.

Indian Navy Ships – INS Kolkata under the command of Captain Aditya Hara and INS Shakti under the command of Captain Sriram Amur participated in the exercise this year. The exercise comprises a harbour and a sea phase.




The Indian Navy and the Vietnam Peoples’ Navy have traditionally shared good relations. The conduct of the bilateral exercise on an annual basis would give a further fillip to the existing strong bilateral relation between the two countries. Since Sep 16 ties between the two countries have been elevated to the level of ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ after the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Vietnam.

The Navy to Navy cooperation involves a Composite Training Programme in the fields of Submarine, Aviation and Dockyard training. The two countries have also signed an agreement to exchange White Shipping Information and have a running ‘Information Sharing’ programme.

The Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise is a significant step in further strengthening mutual confidence and inter-operability as well as sharing best practices between the Indian and the Vietnam Peoples’ Navies.