The Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City will team up with the Vietnam Yoga Federation to roll out the 2023 International Yoga Day in 22 provinces and cities in Vietnam’s southern region at the end of June.

This edition will be the biggest ever since the yoga fest was first launched in the Southeast Asian nation in 2015, Consul General of India in Ho Chi Minh City Madan Mohan Sethi told a press briefing on Tuesday.

The yoga event is part of a wide range of cultural exchange, tourism, trade, and investment promotion events to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and India, said the consul general.

Speaking at the press conference, Sethi affirmed that Vietnam plays an important role in India’s Act East Policy, an effort by the Indian government to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with Southeast Asia.

India strongly believes in Vietnam’s support, he added.

“Both India and Vietnam see mutual respect and trust as the pivot of long-lasting relations between the two nations. We can make this partnership even stronger amid ongoing global uncertainties,” Sethi underlined.

Culture exchange acts as a boost for Vietnam – India ties

The exchange of culture traits, especially related to Buddhism and yoga, plays a significant role in the two nations’ relations, Sethi said.

Over the past few months, the Consulate General of India has initiated a host of cultural exchange events in 11 cities and provinces in southern Vietnam.

Apart from the upcoming yoga festival, a delegation of cultural experts from Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta region will travel to India to deepen cultural cooperation in July.

Besides, the consulate general is planning to join hands with the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts and the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association to promote traditional cultural exchange.

Stronger partnership in various fields 

The Indian diplomat expressed his high expectations for tourism growth between the two countries.

With the popularity of e-visas, Sethi predicted that 500,000 Indian tourists would travel to Vietnam in 2023, a three-fold surge year on year.

The representative of India also eyes deeper cooperation in education and manpower training for the technology-information, international trade, and pharmacy sectors, which are India’s strengths. 

The two nations will accelerate student exchanges to widen their skills and knowledge, Sethi said. 

He also called on technology students and startups in Vietnam to connect with India partners in this field to enhance tech cooperation between the two countries.

The Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City will host a conference to beef up collaboration with the Mekong Delta region on June 28, with the participation of nearly 100 Indian enterprises.

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