The Indian Navy Ship INS Sahyadri, carrying 300 officers and crew members on board, arrived at the Tien Sa port in Da Nang city on October 2, beginning its five-day visit to the central city.
During their stay, Indian naval officers and crew members are scheduled to pay courtesy visits to leaders of the municipal People’s Committee, the High Command of Military Zone 5 and the High Command of Naval Region 3 as well as visiting relic and beautiful sites in Da Nang and neighbouring Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.
A search and rescue drill between the Indian naval ship and the High Command of Naval Region 3 is expected to be held.
India and Vietnam had time-honoured cultural and economic connections from the second century, which have been bolstered by maritime trade.
The two countries organised a security dialogue in 2003 and signed a joint statement on the establishment of strategic partnership in 2007 and a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation in 2009, which have served as the foundation for their maritime cooperation.
The INS Sahyadri’s visit aims to consolidate the bilateral ties and tighten connectivity between the two navies. It visited the northern port city of Hai Phong in August 2014.-VNA