The Indian Navy’s sail training ship INS Sudarshini arrived at Saigon Port on Wednesday, commencing its three-day friendly visit to Ho Chi Minh City.

During the welcoming ceremony, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar expressed his delight that the Indian Navy ship INS Sudarshini's arrival in Ho Chi Minh City coincided with his working trip in the city.

“Its presence is both a statement of our contemporary cooperation, but also of a long maritime tradition between India and Vietnam, which goes back more than a thousand years,” Jaishankar said.

Vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Ngo Minh Chau was also present at the ceremony.

The city’s leader and the Indian Foreign Minister boarded the ship for a tour and to learn more about the INS Sudarshini.

The visit of INS Sudarshini marks the third time an Indian Navy ship has stopped in Vietnam and the third time it has visited Ho Chi Minh City since 2022.

On a special visit in August 2021, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an Indian Navy ship docked at Nha Rong Port carrying 100 metric tons of liquid oxygen and 300 ventilators to support the government and people of Vietnam in their fight against the disease.

According to Chau, the Indian Navy's visits to Vietnam not only enhance cooperation between the naval forces of the two countries but also serve to help form a stronger bond between the governments and peoples of both sides, contributing to peace, security, and stability in the region and the world.

In agreement with the city leader, Jaishankar noted that the strong bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries is one of the most robust pillars of the Vietnam-India comprehensive strategic partnership.

"This is an expression of the great trust that both countries have for each other. Vietnam is the only nation to which India has gifted a fully operational missile corvette,” Jaishankar said.

All defense engagements today between Vietnam and Idina span a wide spectrum, such as building defense industry, UN peacekeeping, submarine and pilot training, and bilateral ship visits and exercises.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre News, Commander Kamal Singh Rana, the commanding officer of the INS Sudarshini, said that the ship’s primary purpose is to train the sea training officers of the Indian Navy and friendly foreign countries, including Vietnam.

“There is no motor, no engines, electronics, anything. Everything you have to pull by hand. So it is all physical efficiency," the commander happily shared. 

"If you see my guys over here, all are young, all are strong, all are fit."

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