India and Vietnam elevate ties to Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during To Lam's State Visit
On 6 May 2026 PM Narendra Modi and Vietnam's General Secretary and President To Lam elevated India–Vietnam relations to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in the 10th anniversary year of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and witnessed the exchange of MoUs on rare earths, digital payments and more.
Summary
India–Vietnam relations were elevated to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on 6 May 2026 after talks between PM Narendra Modi and To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of Viet Nam, who was on a State Visit to India from 5 to 7 May 2026. The leaders noted that 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the India–Viet Nam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and linked deeper ties to India's Viksit Bharat 2047 and Viet Nam's Vision 2045. Outcomes included MoUs between IREL (India) Ltd and Vietnam's Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements on rare earths, between RBI and the State Bank of Vietnam on digital payments, and between NPCI International Payments Ltd and NAPAS on cross-border QR code payments, besides a Cultural Exchange Programme for 2026–30. The same day Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held talks with Vietnam's Deputy PM and Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang.
Key facts
- Elevation
- Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, 6 May 2026
- Visitor
- To Lam, General Secretary of CPV and President of Viet Nam; State Visit 5–7 May 2026
- Anniversary
- 2026 — 10th year of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
- Key MoUs
- IREL–ITRRE (rare earths); RBI–SBV (digital payments); NIPL–NAPAS (cross-border QR payments)
- Defence
- Rajnath Singh–Gen. Phan Van Giang talks, New Delhi
Practice MCQs 3 questions
To what level did India and Vietnam elevate their relations during the State Visit of To Lam in May 2026?
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Correct answer: C — Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
The two sides elevated ties to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the earlier Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The MoU between NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) and Vietnam's NAPAS, signed in May 2026, relates to:
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Correct answer: A — Cross-border QR code payment interoperability
The NIPL–NAPAS MoU establishes linkages on cross-border QR code interoperability to enable payments; rare earths were covered by the IREL–ITRRE MoU.
Consider the following statements about the India–Vietnam summit of May 2026: 1. The year 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the India–Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 2. To Lam visited India as both General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of Viet Nam. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct as per the Joint Statement: 2026 is the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and To Lam holds both posts.