Ambala (Haryana) : The 5th Edition of Vietnam Indian Bilateral Army Exercise "VINBAX 2024" commenced on Monday and is scheduled to be conducted from November 4 to 23 at Ambala and Chandimandir.
The aim of VINBAX-2024 is to enhance joint military capability of both sides in employment and deployment of Engineer Company and Medical Teams to undertake engineering tasks as part of United Nation Contingent in Peace Keeping Operations under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
According to Ministry of Defence, "the exercise is a sequel to previously conducted bilateral exercise in Vietnam in 2023 and a major milestone in strengthening the bilateral relations between India and Vietnam."
This edition marks a significant increase in the scope with Bi Service level participation for the first time by personnel of Army and Air Force from both the countries. "The Indian Army contingent comprising 47 personnel is being represented by a Regiment of the Corps of Engineers along with personnel from other arms and services.The Vietnamese contingent comprising of similar strength will be represented by the troops Vietnam People's Army," the statment added.
The conduct of VINBAX-2024 as a field training exercise with enhanced scope from previous editions of bilateral exercise will strengthen mutual confidence, interoperability and enable sharing of best practices between the Indian Army and Vietnam People's Army.
A 48 hours Validation Exercise with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief demonstration and equipment display is also part of the schedule to assess the standards achieved by both contingents while executing technical military operations under similar scenarios in United Nations missions.
The joint exercise will also provide an opportunity to the troops of both the Contingents to learn about the social and cultural heritages of each other. Meanwhile, both nations recently agreed to further strengthen the Vietnam - India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in all areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh, who was on a three-day state visit to India from July 30 to August 1 agreed to reinforce cooperation at the level of governments and businesses for increasing two-way trade, investment and technological partnership. The leaders agreed to further elevate trade from the present level of around USD 15 billion.