India hands over warship to Vietnam as ties deepen

In a step aimed at deepening defence ties with Vietnam, the Indian Navy on Saturday decommissioned INS Kirpan and handed over the indigenously built missile corvette to the southeast Asian country's navy at Cam Ranh as a gift, with the ceremony presided over by navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Vietnam People's Navy (VPN) deputy commander-in-chief Rear Admiral Pham Manh Hung.

- Rahul Singh

While addressing the audience in Cam Ranh, Hari Kumar said security collaboration between the two countries will ensure that no "single nation" can alter or misinterpret rules to serve its own interests in the Indo-Pacific Region. His comments come at a time when the Chinese navy is seeking to expand its footprint in the region and is locked in disputes with many nations in South China Sea.

The navy chief was referring to enhanced security collaboration under the joint vision statement on "Defence Partnership towards 2030" signed by India and Vietnam last year. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Giang had signed the vision statement in Hanoi in June 2022.