PANO - The Vietnam and India cooperation has been developing in various fields and reaped fruits since they lifted their ties to the strategic partnership in July 2007.

Of which, the two sides’ people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been successfully held in a wide range of forms. The people-to-people exchange has made a breakthrough as the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam-India Friendship Association and the All India Peace and Solidarity Organization ran the first Vietnam-India People’s Friendship Festival in India in 2007. Since then, they have taken turns to host the annual event.

The opening ceremony of the 6th Vietnam-India People’s Friendship Festival

Recently, the 6th Vietnam-India People’s Friendship Festival with meaningful activities in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, was a good chance for the two nation's people to once more reminisce about considerable milestones in their bilateral relations built and fostered by late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Indian President Jawaharlal Nehru.

Notably, the people-to-people exchange is seen as an important linking channel between Vietnam and India, popularizing the Vietnamese Party and State’s policies and guidelines among Indian people from all walks of life.

Besides, the participants in the event also take this opportunity to meet together, share issues of concern and work out measures to consolidate the two nations’ friendly relations and cooperation, making contributions to realizing agreements inked by the two sides’ leaders.

In the coming time, the event will be organized widely and deeply as more cities of Vietnam and India set up twinned relations and extend their cooperation.

Vietnam and India are looking towards the establishment of cultural centres to create favourable conditions for holding people-to-people exchanges and broadening their images and bringing the two sides’ people closer.

As a result, the people-to-people exchanges have paved the way for the two nations to bring their bilateral relations to a new height in the coming time.

Translated by Van Hieu