Published: 05:54 PM, 18 May 2026
India’s Regional Diplomacy And The Strategic Importance Of To Lam’s Visit
India's PM Narendra Modi meeting with President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, To Lam at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on May 06, 2026. Photo Credit: India Prime Minister Office
Introduction
In recent days, the Indo-Pacific region has witnessed a surge in diplomatic engagements, with Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, and other senior leaders undertaking high-level visits to strengthen bilateral ties and advance their strategic and regional interests. In this major diplomatic outreach, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also travelled abroad after sending a tough message to Indian envoys on building India’s image at the Heads of Mission Conference and exhorting them to be proactive. So, the month of May 2026 is going to be a busy one for India in the diplomatic front.
The 11th Heads of Missions Conference was held in New Delhi from 28 to 30 April, where PM Modi exhorted the envoys to improve India’s image through positive messaging. He expressed concern over the low speed in communication, in projecting stories about India. The discussions focused on strengthening India’s global engagement through advancing trade, technology and strategic partnerships, while deepening the connection with the diaspora. He also referred to his decision to appoint a politician, Dinesh Trivedi, as the next High Commissioner to Dhaka and indicated that he was seeking more anubhavi (experienced) hands in nearby countries.
The need to project India’s image worldwide was necessitated by a series of events that India is going to organise in May itself. India is going to host a number of leaders from BRICS and Quad groupings, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Indian Ocean Region in this month itself. Jaishankar travelled to Kingston, Jamaica, on 3 May on a nine-day visit to the Caribbean “CARICOM” grouping of countries, after which he went to Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
During his visit to Jamaica, Jaishankar held discussions with his counterpart, Kamina J. Smith, on India’s ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development, technology-driven governance, and entrepreneurship. He stressed the role of Indian diaspora in Jamaica’s development. While interacting with the diaspora numbering of over 70,000 people, Jaishankar emphasised that India and Jamaica share close historical and cultural ties. Jaishankar was the first Indian foreign minister to make a bilateral visit to the Caribbean country.
The two sides signed three MoUs for cooperation in health and medicine, solar electrification of the Jamaican foreign ministry building and collaboration between the state-run broadcasting bodies. Both sides also reviewed the status of implementation of existing agreements in digital transformation, culture, sports and digital payments and emphasised the importance of ensuring tangible outcomes. They also acknowledged the completion of a project in Kitton Town under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund which was implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and benefitted more than 200 Jamaicans.
There are/were more important events also lined up in May. India hosted the Indian Ocean Dialogue, a track 1.5 (officials and academics) of the 23-nation Indian Ocean Rim Association in Delhi from 7-8 May, where the Iran war and Hormuz Strait blockades were at the top of the agenda. Then, when Trump shall be in Beijing for a summit with Xi Jinping on 14-15 May, India shall be hosting the BRICS Ministers meeting on the same days with Jaishankar meeting his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia. Previous rounds of BRICS meetings were disrupted by the war in West Asia and a joint statement remained elusive because of differences between parties to the conflict.
Soon after, PM Modi shall travel to Europe for a five-nation tour to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy, and the Vatican from 15 to 20 May. While in Oslo, Modi shall attend the Nordic-India Summit with the leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Since the European Free Trade Association is already in operation and the EU-India Free Trade Agreement finalised, India shall be discussing with the EU bloc partnerships in strategic and defence areas as well. Modi is also expected to focus on green technology transition and innovation with AI and quantum computing during the visit.
While these visits are all attempts to find common grounds to world peace, the war in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine crisis do not show any sign of any resolution soon. On his way back from Europe, PM Modi is expected to stop over at the UAE, his first visit to the region since the war began, and after his visit to Israel in late February.
In the second half of May, more diplomatic programs are slotted. India shall be welcoming Cyprus President Christodoulides in Mumbai and Delhi during 20-23 May, to be followed by the visit by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first visit after assuming office when Jaishankar hosts the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting along with his Japanese and Australian counterparts on 26 May. This busy month of May shall end with India hosting the India-Africa Summit on 28-30 May. Two others important summits that India shall host later in 2026 are the BRICS Summit and the Quad Summit, the dates of which are yet to be finalised.
Another part of the Indo-Pacific saw Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi making two important visits to Vietnam and then to Australia. Also, the US President is scheduled to make a visit to Beijing for a summit with the Chinese President Xi Jinping on 14-15 May. While the authors have already discussed what could transpire in Beijing and how the rest of the countries in the Indo-Pacific region are going to view and analyse the outcome, Takaichi’s twin visits shall be analysed separately in another piece. In the meantime, Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to remain in limbo, and Pakistan has emerged as an unlikely peacemaker by hosting US and Iranian officials in an effort to find a resolution to the Iran conflict initiated by Trump. Connecting the dots between these visits — both planned and concluded — is another significant Asian leader whom India hosted earlier this month. Against the backdrop of this flurry of diplomatic activity, this article examines Vietnamese President To Lam’s three-day visit to India from 5 to 7 May and its significance for deepening bilateral relations as well as for promoting regional peace and stability.
Significance of To Lam’s visit to India
It may be noted that prior to To Lam’s visit to India, he had travelled to Washington and Beijing in the last few months. In particular, China’s increasing footprint in the maritime domain and aggressive stances on regional issues has kept many adversary countries on the edge, which is a major driving factor for some middle powers seeking common grounds how to cope with this Chinese challenge. Though confronting China is never a preferable option, engaging with China is no less challenging. But the recent travels by top leaders of the Indo-Pacific region to major capitals need to be understood from this larger perspective.
While To Lam and Prime Minister Modi discussed strengthening the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that was upgraded during the latter’s visit to Vietnam in 2016, other issues such as defence cooperation, trade, and critical technologies were also discussed.
Bilateral ties were elevated to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership. Both sides set a target to boost trade to $25 billion by 2030 as Modi and Lam focused on expanding cooperation in trade, defence and critical minerals. The fact that Lam chose to visit India within a month of becoming the President of Vietnam signify to the importance Vietnam puts to its ties with India. For India too, Vietnam has emerged as an important security and trade partner in Southeast Asia.
Lam was accompanied by several ministers and a large business delegation. The team also travelled to India’s financial hub, Mumbai, to bolster two-way commerce, which has doubled over the past decade to almost $16 billion. A total of 13 agreements were concluded, including one on rare earths that indicated the importance both attached to supply chain resilience amid diversification and Chinese monopoly on the industry. In fact, Vietnam had become India’s first comprehensive strategic partner in the ASEAN region in 2016, which was now elevated to enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership. This will bolster cooperation in connectivity, security, sustainability and supply chain resilience. With trade target now fixed at $25 billion by 2030, both sides signed MoU to boost India’s drug exports to Vietnam.
Exports of Indian agricultural, fisheries and animal products to Vietnam are also set to become easier. Very soon, Vietnam will taste Indian grapes and pomegranates, while Indians shall get to taste Vietnam’s durians and pomelos. Also, new initiatives in critical minerals and energy cooperation will ensure economic security and supply chain resilience.
Indeed, strategic convergence between the two countries will help deepen political trust and economic cooperation through value chain connectivity, removal of barriers and expansion of market access. Lam did take note that India has been soaring ahead as a centre of growth and innovation in the world. Both Modi and Lam resolved to link together respective strategic visions and development strategies to better address the turmoil in the situation in the world today. Both sides also agreed that the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement should be upgraded by the end of 2026. This will provide further impetus to trade and investment between India and all ASEAN countries.
China Factor
China’s rise is a challenge for most Asian nations and it figures in their political agenda. China’s activities in South China Sea is worrisome to most Asian countries as some of the ASEAN nations have contending claims to areas of this water space that fall within their Exclusive Economic Zones. On the contrary, China claims almost in its entirety to this maritime space. Securing this global common is an issue that demand coordinated policy response. Understandably therefore, Modi and Lam reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation and over-flight in the region. Both also reiterated to the peaceful resolution of disputes in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.
Though Hanoi does not approve Beijing’s aggressive posture in the South China Sea, it does not want open confrontation, which is why Lam decided to visit Beijing days after being elected President to cement bilateral ties, despite China’s expansive South China Sea claims.
The Case of BrahMos Missiles
To counter China’s influence, India has offered BrahMos missiles to Vietnam. In fact the issue of India selling BrahMos missiles to Vietnam has been in news for over a decade but no substantive progress has been made. There is no clarity if pricing issue is holding back a deal.
As a part of India’s Act East Policy and to counter China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia, PM Modi discussed boosting defence cooperation with Vietnam with Lam, including the sale of BrahMos cruise missile as Vietnam is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific. Indeed, defence and security cooperation are important pillars in India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. India premises its strategic argument that Vietnam will serve the cause of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
There were speculations in the Indian media that the Rs. 5,800 crore BrahMos Missile deal between India and Vietnam redefining coastal defence against regional threats shall come through during Lam’s India visit. Nothing of the sort happened, though PM Modi did raise the topic during his talks with Lam, though the 13 MoUs extensively covered other areas. The BrahMos was expected to be the biggest highlight aimed at maritime defence reshaping Indo-Pacific security dynamics. But it did not happen. The defence cooperation did not cover this package of BrahMos missiles sales.
The key components of the Rs. 5,800 crore BrahMos Missile Deal (around $700 million), had it come through, would have included (a) shore-based BrahMos missile batteries, (b) supersonic cruise missiles (initial batch), (c) training and technical support, and (d) logistics and maintenance systems. These systems are specifically designed for coastal defence, helping Vietnam secure its long shoreline and maritime interests.
It is recognised that Vietnam is facing increasing pressure from China in the South China Sea, where territorial disputes and rising military activity continue to create tensions. The BrahMos missile offers several advantages such as (a) high-speed precision strike as it travels at nearly Mach 2.8 (almost 3 times the speed of sound), and (b) difficult to intercept due to supersonic speed. It also enjoys sea-skimming capability, means flies low over water, avoiding radar detection, and ideal for anti-ship operations. The missiles can also be launched from land, sea and air.
These features make BrahMos one of the most advanced cruise missiles in the world, and a powerful deterrent for Vietnam. Had the deal been finalised, Vietnam would have become the third Southeast Asian operator after the Philippines (2022 deal) and Indonesia (2026 deal). Philippines is the first country to deploy the Indian-origin supersonic missile systems in the region.
The deal with the Philippines and Indonesia shows that there is a rising regional demand for India’s defence system. In simple terms, the sale of BrahMos missiles would strengthen regional deterrence against aggressive naval activity, enhance ASEAN countries’ defence independence, and positions India as a major arms exporter in Asia.
The BrahMos missiles are jointly developed with Russia in India. This missile has emerged as India’s biggest defence export stories. New Delhi has already sold the supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines and signed a contract with Indonesia in March 2026 for the supply. With contracts with two ASEAN countries, Philippines and Indonesia, worth approximately Rs. 4,000 crore, it showcases India’s growing ability to export high-end indigenous military systems to friendly nations. Although the BrahMos deal with Vietnam did not materialise during To Lam’s visit to India, it is likely to move forward in the near future. Pricing concerns may be one of the factors causing the delay. At the same time, Vietnam may also be exercising caution to avoid provoking China. For now, there are no clear answers.
Pen & Ink by: Dr. Rajaram Panda and Upasha Kumari
**Dr. Rajaram Panda is former Senior Fellow at MP-IDSA and PMML. He is also former ICCR Chair Professor at Reitaku University, Japan.
**Ms. Upasha Kumari is an educator, researcher, and columnist writing on international relations, education and contemporary socio-political issues.
>> Source: Eurasia Review
