India and Vietnam are likely to sign pacts in areas such as defence, energy, development partnership and healthcare and exchange views on their respective Covid-19 strategies at a bilateral summit on Monday, a source close to the development said.

The summit, to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, will also look into the progress in implementing India’s defence Line of Credit for high-speed guard boats for Vietnam. Both leaders are likely to issue a ‘joint vision’ for the future development of India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“In the area of energy, new opportunities in renewable energy cooperation are to be explored,” the source said.

Other issues that may come up for discussion include India’s development and capacity building assistance to Vietnam through initiatives such as Quick Impact Projects, ITEC and e-ITEC initiatives, PhD fellowships, as well as projects in water resource management in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, SDGs, digital connectivity and heritage conservation.

Covid strategies

Modi and Phuc are also expected to exchange views on their respective strategies to deal with Covid-19 as well as the post-pandemic economic revival. “The existing economic and trade linkages between the two countries provide a useful platform to explore new and resilient supply chains,” the source said.

“As both countries will concurrently serve on the UN Security Council in 2021 as non-permanent members, this may open up new opportunities for closer cooperation and coordination on regional and international issues,” the source said.

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