According to a tweet published by the Indian Navy on December 2, 2022, INS Shivalik & INS Kamorta forward deployed in the South China Sea are in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as part of the bilateral defence cooperation activities & further enhance robust ties b/n the 2 navies as also to mark the 50th anniversary of India- Vietnam diplomatic relations.
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Shivalik class frigate INS Shivalik, Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam. (Picture source: Indian Navy)
In January 2000, the Indian Defence Minister, George Fernandes, called for a renewed political relationship with Vietnam, describing Vietnam as India's most trusted friend and ally.
He proposed that India should develop a naval presence in the South China Sea through access to the Cam Ranh Bay naval and air base and that India should provide training and advanced weapons to Vietnam.
Vietnam has welcomed Indian Navy ships in their region which would enhance India and Vietnam military relations. Vietnam has also welcomed Indian support for a peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The Indian Navy provided training to over 550 Vietnamese Navy submariners to operate Kilo-class submarines at its INS Satavahana submarine training base. Vietnam acquired its first Kilo-class submarine from Russia in January 2014, and India had experience operating the class since the mid-1980s.
In August 2021, the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet dispatched a task force of four warships on a two-month long operational deployment to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the Western Pacific Ocean.
Two ships, guided-missile destroyer INS Ranvijay (D55) and anti-submarine corvette INS Kora (P61), arrived at Cam Ranh on 15 August. They conducted surface warfare exercises, weapon firing drills and helicopter operations with Vietnamese Navy frigate Ly Thai To (HQ-012).
