Vietnam-India relations stronger than ever: Ambassadors Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh and Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Preeti Saran granted a joint interview to VNA correspondents in New Delhi, during which they purported that the two countries’ strategic partnership is thriving more than ever. Ambassador Thanh said the shared strategic interests created a firm foundation for the two countries to set up their strategic partnership in 2007 and facilitated the strong development of bilateral ties in numerous fields. According to Thanh, high-level visits over the past years have helped strengthen political trust. Trade has also increased significantly to reach nearly US$9 billion in 2014, up tenfold against that of 2007. India’s investment is expected to rise to US$2.5 billion or even US$4-5 billion in the near future through the implementation of several big projects of the Tata group and others in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the two countries have also seen positive results in cooperation in security, defence, culture, education, science and technology. Agreeing with Thanh’s assessment, the Indian diplomat expressed her belief that defence, security, political, economic and trade ties will thrive. She stated that at present, cooperation potential between the two countries has yet to be fully tapped and suggested they open additional direct air routes, as the aviation linkage would contribute to promoting trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Vietnam is the strongest factor in India’s “Act East” policy, she said, noting that within three months of the new administration assuming power (May 26, 2014), the Indian Foreign Minister and the President visited Vietnam in August and September. In October, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also visited India and held talks with his Indian counterpart. In its “Act East” policy, India plans to boost cooperation in pharmaceuticals, garment-textiles, agriculture and farm produce processing with Vietnam, she added. VNA