Vietnam has proposed an agreement with India for the exchange and mutual protection of classified information, while both countries have agreed to strengthen real-time sharing of strategic intelligence. The proposals emerged during Doval’s meetings with Vietnam’s senior defence and security leadership in Hanoi on Monday, November 2. The discussions assume wider significance as China continues to assert its maritime claims in the South China Sea, raising security concerns among Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam.
Doval arrived in Hanoi on Sunday, November 1. On Monday, he met Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, General Phan Van Giang, and Public Security Minister, General Luong Tam Quang. His visit comes amid continuing tensions over China's expansive claims in the South China Sea, while India seeks to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia as part of its commitment to a free Indo-Pacific.
India and Vietnam have steadily expanded their bilateral relationship over several decades, with defence cooperation emerging as a key pillar. The two countries upgraded their relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Vietnamese President To Lam’s visit to New Delhi in May 2026. India has supplied patrol boats to Vietnam, gifted it a missile-armed warship and signed an agreement to supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
Just two weeks before Doval’s visit, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi travelled to Vietnam for a four-day private visit. The BJP criticised Gandhi for taking a break while the Opposition was protesting alleged irregularities involving the Election Commission. The Congress defended his right to undertake personal travel.
The most significant development during Doval’s visit was Vietnam’s proposal to strengthen intelligence cooperation with India. According to a detailed statement issued by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, Doval and Public Security Minister General Luong Tam Quang agreed to improve strategic information exchanges, including real-time data sharing on political and strategic developments.
The discussions also covered assessments of the regional and international security environment, emerging threats and non-traditional security challenges affecting the national interests of both countries. The proposed cooperation is expected to strengthen communication channels between their senior leadership and facilitate faster exchanges of information on regional security developments.
Vietnam’s state broadcaster, Voice of Vietnam, also reported that Hanoi wanted to accelerate negotiations on agreements covering classified information, transnational crime and human trafficking.
However, no new intelligence-sharing treaty was signed or announced as signed during Doval’s visit.
During his November 2 meeting with Doval in Hanoi, Vietnam’s Public Security Minister, General Luong Tam Quang, proposed exploring an agreement between the two governments on the mutual protection and exchange of classified information, according to an official statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security.
The Vietnamese government also requested India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) to help advance discussions with the relevant Indian agencies. The NSCS, headed by NSA Ajit Doval, coordinates national security policy and advises the Prime Minister on strategic, defence, intelligence and cybersecurity matters.
Vietnam also sought cooperation with India in artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
These proposals follow several security-related engagements between the two countries earlier in 2026. India and Vietnam held a Cyber Policy Dialogue in January, their first Cybersecurity Consultation in September and their fourth deputy-ministerial Security Dialogue in New Delhi on October 16.
The October dialogue covered economic security, maritime engagement, counterterrorism, emerging technologies and cybersecurity. The two countries have also discussed establishing a joint counterterrorism working group, although its creation has not been confirmed.
The Indian Embassy in Hanoi issued a brief statement on Monday regarding Doval’s meeting with Vietnam’s Defence Minister, General Phan Van Giang.
"NSA Ajit Doval met General Phan Van Giang, Politburo Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Viet Nam, today. They reviewed ongoing bilateral defence cooperation and agreed to further deepen engagements in this domain," the embassy posted on X.
Vietnam’s government provided additional details about the meeting. General Giang described defence cooperation as an important pillar of the upgraded bilateral relationship and invited Indian defence manufacturers to participate in the Vietnam International Defence Expo scheduled for December 2026.
According to the Vietnamese readout, Doval emphasised the importance of cooperation with trustworthy partners in a rapidly changing world. Vietnam also sought India's support in training police peacekeepers and securing the APEC summit that it will host in 2027.
India’s expanding security partnership with Vietnam has developed over several years. In July 2023, New Delhi gifted the missile corvette INS Kirpan to the Vietnamese Navy, complete with its weapons. India also supplied 12 high-speed guard boats under a $100-million defence credit line, strengthening Vietnam’s maritime capabilities.
Vietnam has been facing growing pressure from China in the South China Sea, where Beijing maintains expansive territorial and maritime claims.
The relationship gained further momentum in May 2026. During Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Hanoi, India and Vietnam signed an agreement on artificial intelligence and quantum technology. They also discussed maritime security, defence manufacturing and military training while emphasising the importance of freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, according to India’s Ministry of Defence.
Another significant development was the agreement to supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam.
On May 30, India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed that an agreement to supply BrahMos missiles to Vietnam had already been signed. Reuters reported that the proposed deal could be worth around Rs 6,000 crore, although its final terms and delivery schedule remain undisclosed.
The strategic importance of India-Vietnam relations is closely linked to Vietnam’s geographical position and its longstanding maritime disputes with China. Beijing claims vast stretches of the South China Sea, including waters and islands also claimed by Vietnam. Other littoral states in the region have similar disputes with China.
The South China Sea carries major international shipping routes and has witnessed repeated confrontations involving Chinese and Southeast Asian vessels.
India advocates a rules-based international order and a free Indo-Pacific. Under its Act East Policy, New Delhi has been expanding defence and maritime cooperation with Hanoi.
For Vietnam, Indian missiles, naval assistance and intelligence cooperation provide additional capabilities and another strategic partner without requiring the country to enter a formal military alliance. For India, closer ties with Vietnam strengthen its strategic presence in a region where China's military and maritime influence remains substantial.
Doval’s latest meetings in Hanoi indicate that bilateral cooperation is expanding beyond conventional defence engagement into intelligence sharing, cybersecurity and strategic communication.
Neither New Delhi nor Hanoi has publicly stated that China was specifically discussed during Doval’s meetings. However, Vietnam’s concerns over Beijing’s maritime claims and India’s efforts to strengthen its security presence in Southeast Asia provide the wider strategic context for the visit.
Although both governments have avoided explicitly mentioning Beijing in their public statements, China’s growing military and maritime assertions in the region form an important backdrop to the expanding India-Vietnam security partnership. The discussions in Hanoi suggest that cooperation between the two countries is increasingly extending into sensitive areas of national security, with implications for the broader Indo-Pacific strategic environment.
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