Scholars from ASEAN all affirmed that India is a good friend and close partner. Parties involved, they suggested, should work together to consolidate bilateral relations and foster people-to-people diplomacy.

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Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung (fourth from right) presents medical supplies to Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma.

Faisal Ahmed, an Associate Professor of international business at FORE School of Management in New Delhi, evaluated that ASEAN is a region which is progressive in economy and rich in culture and holds important geopolitical significance.

Merchandise trade between India and ASEAN reached 97 billion USD during 2018-2019 and their service trade was valued at 45 billion USD.

At the conference, scholars also appreciated Vietnam’s achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with few patients and no fatality.

Le Van Toan, Founding Director of the India Research Center under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said that Vietnam has made responsible contributions to global issues.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreaks, Vietnam has not only shared disease prevention experience with other countries but also provided medical equipment and supplies for many nations, including India.

He suggested studying cultural traditions which have formed the Vietnam-India relations over the past years.

Source: VNA