Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with Vietnam President To Lam in New Delhi on May 6, with the two Asian nations looking to strengthen economic and defense ties while tensions persist in the Middle East.

The visit is Mr Lam’s second overseas trip since securing the presidency in April, and he is accompanied by key ministers and a business delegation. He met India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on May 5, and the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as security, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, innovation and energy, according to a statement on the Vietnamese government’s website.

Mr Modi and Mr Lam attended a ceremonial reception at the presidential palace in New Delhi ahead of bilateral talks.

Both countries are seeking to deepen regional ties as relations with Washington remain unpredictable under the Trump administration and the Iran war continues to disrupt trade with the Middle East. Mr Lam, who is also General-Secretary, visits just weeks after South Korea’s president travelled to India to strengthen cooperation.

Vietnam is seen as a key partner in India’s “Act East” policy, underpinned by growing defence and economic ties, while the South Asian country is Vietnam’s eighth largest trade partner. Bilateral trade has doubled to about US$16 billion (S$20.3 billion) over the past decade. 

Indian companies have invested in 473 projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$1.1 billion. Vietnamese investment in India has also accelerated, highlighted by VinFast’s electric vehicle factory in Tamil Nadu state and Vingroup’s plan to invest about US$6.5 billion in Maharashtra state.&...