India trains 500 Vietnamese submarine sailors

The Times of India newspaper reported on November 23 that New Delhi has begun training about 500 Vietnamese sailors in submarine operations.

Indian Navy interacts with Vietnam Navy during visit to Tien Sa port

Da Nang of the Indian military train in June 2013 (Source: VNA)

According to the newspaper, the training of Vietnamese sailors at the Indian Navy's INS Satavahana Submarine School in Visakhapatnam in southern India is an important initiative in the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Hanoi.

The newspaper quoted an Indian defense official as saying: "Defense Minister AK Antony has pledged to assist Vietnam in improving the capabilities of its armed forces. About 500 Vietnamese sailors will be trained by the Indian Navy in groups.

In addition, New Delhi will also continue to help Hanoi modernize and train its security and defense forces, including a $100 million line of credit for defense purchases."

During talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on November 13, the two leaders agreed that defense cooperation has become an important pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The two leaders welcomed the regular conduct of defense dialogue, training, exercises, mutual visits by Navy and Coast Guard vessels, capacity building, exchange of advisors and exchanges between relevant agencies of the two countries in recent years.

The use of the credit in the defense sector helps to strengthen defense cooperation.

The two leaders suggested that the two sides continue to discuss the terms of the $100 million line of credit in the defense sector to create further momentum for this existing cooperation.

The two sides welcomed the signing of the Agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information Exchange and the currently underway Memorandum of Understanding on training of Vietnamese naval and air force officers.

According to Vietnam+