HCM City gathering marks India's 79th Independence Day
At the local level, successive leaders of HCM City have paid due attention to fostering Vietnam–India friendship. Under their guidance and support, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries in the city have flourished across trade, tourism, culture, and education. Such activities have deepened ties and mutual understanding while bringing tangible benefits to the people of both nations.
Representatives of Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) present flowers to the Ho Chi Minh Vietnam - India Friendship Association (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held a gathering on August 13 to celebrate the 79th anniversary of India’s Independence Day (August ♓15, 1947 – 2025), aiming to further strengthen ties between the people of Ho Chi Minh City and India.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam–India Friendship Association Huynh Thanh Lap highlighted the historical significance of August 15, 1947, saying that under the leadership of leader Mahatma Gandhi, the people of India gained independence, marking a milestone in the nation’s history. Over the past 79 years, India has made remarkable progress in various fields, becoming an active and responsible member of the international community and a comprehensive strategic partner of Vietnam.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972, especially after their upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016, Vietnam–India relations have achieved significant progress, with strategic trust continuously strengthened through close cooperation between sectors and localities, along with regular high-level meetings.
At the local level, successive leaders of HCM City have paid due attention to fostering Vietnam–India friendship. Under their guidance and support, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries in the city have flourished across trade, tourism, culture, and education. Such activities have deepened ties and mutual understanding while bringing tangible benefits to the people of both nations.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam–India Friendship Association Huynh Thanh Lap speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)
Indian Consul General in HCM City Vipra Pandey thanked HUFO for organising the celebration, describing it as a vivid demonstration of the warm friendship and deep affection between the people of Vietnam and India. He stressed that the two countries are bound by history, shared values, and common aspirations, linked since the spread of Buddhism more than 2,000 years ago and united in their struggles for independence.
The diplomat noted that over the past two decades, India–Vietnam ties have grown significantly, becoming a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Politically, leaders frequently meet to build trust and shape a shared vision for peace and prosperity. Economically, bilateral trade has multiplied, with enterprises cooperating in sectors such as energy, technology, and agriculture. Trade turnover has risen from a few hundred million USD in the early 2000s to over 15 billion USD in 2024. Cultural exchanges are also vibrant, with many meaningful activities.
He added that what makes the friendship between the two peoples special is the warmth and mutual respect they share. Indian visitors feel at home in Vietnam, while the Vietnamese community in India is also held in high regard. Looking ahead, he expressed confidence that India–Vietnam relations will continue to grow stronger, building a future based on friendship, trust, and cooperation.
The gathering took place in a warm and festive atmosphere, featuring traditional performances from both Vietnam and India by students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City./.
Party General Secretary To Lam congratulated Indian people on the occasion of India's 79th Independence Day (August 15, 1947 – 2025), and praised the remarkable achievements the country has made over the years, particularly in socio-economic development, science and technology, and its increasing position in the region and the world.
The two sides committed to adopting breakthrough measures to broaden the scope of cooperation and further boost trade turnover in a more balanced and mutually beneficial manner, towards better responding to fluctuations in global trade and contributing to ensuring a stable and sustainable supply chain.
ACW Chair and Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Phan Minh Giang reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with New Zealand, noting that Vietnam, as coordinator for ASEAN–New Zealand ties from 2024 to 2027, will work closely with New Zealand and ASEAN countries to further deepen the partnership.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has reiterated Vietnam’s readiness to share its experience in reforming and restructuring State-owned enterprises (SOEs) with Laos, including legal frameworks, management processes, and approaches to capital mobilisation and investment management.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc reiterated Vietnam’s readiness to share its experience fully and support Laos in SOE reform, while also expressing a desire to learn from Laos’ valuable insights.
The outcomes of the state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse from August 10-13 are reflected in five major aspects, ranging from political trust and multifaceted cooperation to social foundations and multilateral engagement.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the programme must focus on steadily improving the material and spiritual well-being of ethnic minority and mountain communities, with each year’s progress surpassing the previous.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, accompanied by a high-level Vietnamese delegation, left Busan for Hanoi on August 13, concluding their four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) at the invitation of Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse.
In the context of the robust development of bilateral ties, the establishment of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Busan is vivid evidence of the deepening linkages between the two nations, serving as a solid bridge to expand locality-to-locality cooperation in various fields such as economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The diplomatic sector has always upheld its role as one of the three key pillars in the cause of national construction and defence, taking the lead in implementing the motto of “using the invariables to cope with the variables" in asserting and safeguarding the sacred sovereignty of the nation.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, on behalf of the Government and people of Vietnam, extended congratulations to the government and people of Singapore, highlighting Singapore as a source of aspiration for many nations, including Vietnam, and a model of innovation, and smart government building.
President of the VFF Central Committee Do Van Chien highlighted the fruitful ties between the VFF Central Committee and the LFNC Central Committee for the effective implementation of the bilateral cooperaetion agreement and the tripartite memorandum of understanding among the fronts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Busan will continue to work closely with Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese localities to promote substantive collaboration in areas where the two sides boast complementary strengths, contributing to concretising the agreements reached by high-ranking leaders of both sides, said Busan Mayor Park Hyeong Joon.
Party General Secretary To Lam acknowledged the rapid progress of the Vietnam–RoK partnership in recent years, especially in economics, thanks to the support of both countries, their citizens, and business leaders like former Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in the RoK Park Soo Kwan.
The Government leader called for a people-centred and comprehensive approach involving the full political system, with more decentralisation and delegation of power, as long as stronger implementation capacity, enhanced inspections, perfected institutional frameworks, and targeted resource allocation.
Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Policy, and Industry at the Australian Department of Defence, highly valued Vietnam's increasingly active role in peacekeeping missions and expressed confidence in the growing, practical, and deeper cooperation between the two countries.
The visit marks the Vietnamese Party General Secretary’s first state visit to the RoK in his new role. The RoK’s invitation to him as the first “state guest” under its new administration signals the high priority it places on the relationship with Vietnam and its Party chief personally.
Party General Secretary To Lam suggested both sides effectively implement existing parliamentary cooperation agreements and strengthen exchanges between the two legislatures. He laid stress on the bridge-building role of friendship parliamentarian groups in each country.
Under the draft revised rules, the NA and People’s Councils will no longer directly establish thematic supervision missions. Instead, the NA will select annual supervision themes and assign their implementation to the NA Standing Committee or specialised committees, which will then report findings for parliamentary discussion and resolution.
