In Pics: India, Vietnam Navies undertake Passage Exercise in South China Sea
The Passex exercises are a first since the Galwan incident earlier this year which saw aggressive action by Chinese forces at the LAC.
Indian and Vietnamese Navy undertook the PASSEX or Passage Exercise in the South China Sea on December 26, 2020 (Saturday). The PASSEX exercise is aimed at reinforcing Maritime Interoperability between the Indian Navy and the Vietnam People's Navy.
Indian Navy Ship INS Kiltan, which reached Nha Rong Port in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday (December 24) took part in the exercises held on from December 26 and 27. The Indian ship reached Vietnam with 10 tons of humanitarian assistance under mission Sagar 3.
The Indian Navy in a release had said, “Current visit seeks to enhance maritime cooperation between the two Navies and will further bolster the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries and contribute to security and stability in the region.”
India and Vietnam have increased high-level engagement including defence engagement. At the recently held India-Vietnam virtual summit handed over the first of the 12 High-Speed Guard Boat to the country.