India, Vietnam hold four-day naval exercise to 'boost cooperation'

The Indian and Vietnam Navies undertook a four-day maritime exercise off the Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, in an attempt to boost operational cooperation. The exercise started on April 13.

"The exercise was undertaken as a part of the ongoing deployment of eastern fleet ships to countries in South East Asia. Indian Navy ships under the command of Capt. Aditya Hara and Capt. Sriram Amur participated in the exercise, comprising a harbour and a sea phase," Navy said.

The Indian Navy and Vietnam Peoples Navy have traditionally shared good relations, and the conduct of bilateral exercise on an annual basis would give a further fillip to the existing strong bilateral relations.

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 bilateral exercise is considered a significant step in further strengthening mutual confidence and inter-operability as well as sharing best practices between the Indian and Vietnam navies.

The Indian Navy also cooperates with the Vietnam People's Navy on a wide range of issues, from operational interactions and training to logistics support and exchange of experts.