The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind being received by the Chairman of the President’s Office, Mr. Dao Viet Trung, on his arrival, at Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind being received by the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue, at the Vietnam-India Business Forum, at Hanoi, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
President's Secretariat
19-November, 2018 18:51 IST
Address by the Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind at Indian Community and friends of India reception
- I am delighted to meet you. I am honoured to be paying a State Visit to Vietnam. I thank you for your warm and affectionate welcome. I wish to convey my deep appreciation and respect for the monks and nuns of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha who have welcomed me with their traditional drum ceremony.
- India-Vietnam friendship is civilizational. Our relations have been exceptionally warm and cordial. Our people have stood by each other during most difficult times. Our founding fathers - Mahatma Gandhi and President Ho Chi Minh have guided us on a shared path. I have come here to deepen those enduring ties. I look forward to my official engagements with President Phu Trong tomorrow. I will also have the honour to address the Vietnamese National Assembly. I am thankful to the government of Vietnam for according me this very special gesture.
- The Buddhist Sangha is an important institution promoting friendship between our two countries. Through them we have nurtured our ties with compassion, kindness and blessings of Lord Buddha. The Buddhist monks were as active in promoting our relations in ancient times as they are today. Monks and merchants brought Indian culture, philosophy and religion to the shores of Vietnam. Buddhism, Hinduism, Brahmi script and Sanskrit language soon, thereafter, took roots in this country. I had the privilege to visit the world famous Cham temples yesterday and to see the deep imprint of these exchanges on this ancient land and its proud people. As a tribute to our age-old ties, I planted a banyan tree there, a symbol of our shared spiritual journey.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
- As a friend and partner, we take immense pride in Vietnam’s spectacular achievements. Over the years, this country has made huge socio-economic advances. Sustained high levels of economic growth, combined with vision and foresight of its leadership, has seen rapid progress and prosperity. Per capita GDP in this country has gone up from less than US$ 100 in 1990 to over US$ 2500 today making a huge difference in the lives of ordinary citizens. Agricultural growth has been a key driver of this remarkable feat. As a development partner, we feel privileged to have contributed to Vietnam’s agricultural revolution and food security. Today, Vietnam is a star among the emerging markets and is highly integrated with the global economy. Like India, it is a young demography, and like us, making every effort to meet the aspirations of its young people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
- India and Vietnam have been together in a cultural journey for ages. And now both of us are on a similar transformational economic path. India is today the fastest growing major economy in the world, with a growth rate of 8.2% last quarter. Our knowledge and innovation driven industry has made a mark for itself the world over. We are making steady progress towards becoming a 5 trillion economy and the 3rd largest consumer market in the world by 2025. Vietnam’s rise and growth is equally impressive.
- We have undertaken path breaking economic reforms including the introduction of Goods and Services Tax that has realized our long-held dream of making India into “One Nation, One Tax, One Market”. Our policy measures have seen us jump 65 places in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business in the last four years. And while we are pursuing economic growth, we are also equally conscious of our social equity goals. Women empowerment has been at the centre of all our socio-economic programmes, be it MUDRA - our micro-credit lending scheme or Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao that is Save Girl Child - Educate Girl Child Scheme.
- During the visit of our Prime Minister to Vietnam in September 2016, we had decided to elevate our bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Cooperation in defence industry, hydrocarbons, energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and healthcare were identified to enhance collaboration. Our intent has translated into concrete results. I am happy to learn that today, India is one of Vietnam’s top trading partners and we have seen a major jump in our bilateral trade and investment relations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- The Indian community in Vietnam is small in number. But it plays an important part in promoting bilateral ties and creating opportunities for the local economy and society. The Indian community in Vietnam has many accomplishments to itself. Through hard work and dedication, you have earned a name for yourself and pride for us. Our IT professionals and technology entrepreneurs are helping build digital pathways in this country. Our ancient links and modern ties with this country place very high expectations on you from your Vietnamese friends. But I must say, you have most respectfully lived up to those - bringing the best of India to Vietnam be it art, culture or our familial ethos. I am told Yoga is immensely popular in Vietnam and is a strong binding element between our two societies. Our common sensibilities have also made Indian television serials and films have a wider and appreciative audience here.
- India is on a transformative journey. In our quest for peace, prosperity and development, Indian citizens abroad and the overseas Indian community serve us as equal partners. There are new opportunities and possibilities opening up for you to connect, collaborate and grow with India. I encourage you to join us in this journey, as knowledge partners, as investors and as cultural ambassadors.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- Our Government has made it a priority to reach out to our overseas community. There is new and vibrant connect between us and our Diaspora today. To serve them better, we have strengthened our Embassies to provide round the clock service, so that no one in need is left unattended. We are utilizing social media platforms and digital programmes such as MADAD to deliver efficient public services. We have reached out to those in dire need, from Yemen to Venezuela, caught in violence, crisis or natural disasters. And not just to Indians alone, but to people of over 50 other countries.
- Next year, we are celebrating the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Varanasi from 21st to 23rd January. I invite you to join us in this special festivity of our Diaspora. We have begun the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi this year. I do hope you will come forward and help us illuminate his life and legacy in this country.
- I also invite you to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan whenever you are in India. It may be my official residence but it is a place of pride for all Indians, and as such belongs to me as much to you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- I convey my appreciation for the efforts of the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Association and the India Studies Department of Universities here in promoting a greater understanding of India in this country. I also thank the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam for playing an active role in engaging the Indian community. More importantly, I thank our Vietnamese friends for extending a welcome hand to all Indians living in this country.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- India and Vietnam share similar opportunities and challenges. We must come together with pride and purpose and help each other grow and prosper. Let the age-old thought and wisdom of the Mekong and the Ganga guide us on this path.
Thank you.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressing at the Indian Community Reception hosted by the Ambassador of India to Vietnam, Shri P. Harish, at Hanoi, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the Indian Community Reception hosted by the Ambassador of India to Vietnam, Shri P. Harish, at Hanoi, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
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President's Secretariat
19-November, 2018 18:48 IST
Address by the Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the Vietnam-India business forum
- I am delighted to address the Vietnam-India Business Forum. I am honoured to be paying a State Visit to Vietnam, a country with which we have historic and special ties. I thank the Government of Vietnam for their warmth and excellent hospitality.
- I extend my warm wishes to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Indian business chambers – the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry - who have worked hard, and worked together as a team, to organize this event. I am happy that you have had a fruitful day of discussions on how to take forward our trade, technology and investment relations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
- India and Vietnam are old civilizations. We have ancient cultural and spiritual connections. But the story of our engagement is much broader. Traders and merchants from India brought goods and commodities to the shores of Vietnam long before the arrival of cultural thought and expression. There was a flourishing maritime connect in the days gone by. And, to our desire, trade continues to be a driving force in our contemporary partnership. In the last 8 years, we have seen almost four fold increase in bilateral trade, from US$ 3.7 billion in 2010 to US$ 12.8 last year. With both Vietnam and India on a strong growth path, we can expect this trend to continue apace.
- Vietnam and India are not just special friends; we also have a similar economic vision and approach. Vietnam has seen spectacular economic growth in the last two decades. This has allowed reduction of the poverty rate from over 70% in the 1990s to less than 10% now. The increase in per capita GDP of Vietnam from less than US$ 100 in 1990 to over US$ 2500 today is a remarkable achievement with very few parallels in the developing world. I congratulate the people and government of Vietnam on this stupendous success.
- Like Vietnam, India too has been focused on reforming its economy, increasing its growth rate, and realizing the full potential of its young citizens. In April-July quarter of this year, the GDP growth of Indian economy was 8.2%, highest among the large economies. By 2025, India’s GDP is expected to double to US$ 5 trillion from the current US$ 2.5 trillion. With country wide sweep of digital connectivity, transformative economic reforms, favorable demographics and a vibrant start-up ecosystem, India is also expected to be the third largest consumer market by 2025. We have started work to build next-generation infrastructure including 100 Smart cities, 7 high-speed train corridors and nationwide broadband connectivity. Last year alone, we built 10,000 kilometers of national highways – that is an average of 27 kilometers daily!
- Transformative reforms such as the introduction of Goods and Services Tax has made India, a country of 1.3 billion people, into One Nation, One Tax, One Market for the first time in her history. On the success of this and other reforms, India has jumped 65 places- from 142 in 2014 to 77 in 2018 - in the World Bank Doing Ease of Business Index. Our macro-economic indicators are robust: inflation well under control at 3.3%; foreign exchange reserves at a healthy US$ 400 billion and our Foreign Direct Investment flows at over US$ 200 billion in the last 4 years.
- We have also been conscious to combine growth with equity. Our financial inclusion programme Jan Dhan Yojana has seen 330 million bank accounts opened for the poor and needy. Our micro-credit scheme MUDRA has disbursed 128 million loans worth US$ 90 billion, 74% of these beneficiaries being women! These initiatives have unleashed a new energy for the growth of microenterprises, entrepreneurship and selfe-mployment.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- Vietnam and India business partnership speaks for itself. With matching growth and lucrative business prospects on both sides, there is little convincing to be done. All of you are sitting in the middle of manifold possibilities. Indian growth presents opportunities for two-way engagement in financial services, IT, digital economy, hydrocarbons, defence, renewable energy, mining, healthcare, tourism and civil aviation sectors. We want Vietnam to collaborate with us in our flagship programmes - Make In India, Clean India, Start-up India and Digital India. We are also keen to learn from it in the tourism and urban infrastructure sectors.
- On the trade front, we are doing well. We are on track to achieve our target of US$ 15 billion bilateral trade by the year 2020. Vietnam is a very important trading partner of India in ASEAN and India is now among the top 10 trading partners of Vietnam.
- Agriculture has been a key sector of our cooperation involving trade, investment and training. We feel privileged to have supported the Vietnamese agricultural revolution through the establishment of Cuu Long Rice Research Institute. Vietnam is a huge agricultural economy with agro-marine-forestry exports surpassing US$ 35 billion last year. Agricultural products already occupy over 45% of our bilateral trade. Agro-processing, agro-chemicals, farm machinery, biotechnology and high-tech farming hold immense potential for bilateral cooperation. Indian industry can also learn from Vietnam’s success in crops such as coffee, pepper, cashew, fruits and vegetables.
- The Indian pharmaceuticals industry, globally speaking, is the third largest in terms of volume and the world’s largest provider of generic drugs. They can partner Vietnam in providing quality healthcare, medicines and medical devices for the public health system at an affordable cost. Indian pharmaceutical companies are also looking at domestic production opportunities in Vietnam. There are huge prospects for promoting medical and wellness tourism both ways as well.
- Both India and Vietnam are leading players in the textile industry. We must cooperate further to facilitate integration of value chains. Likewise, there are significant opportunities in the oil and gas, power, infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. In India, we have set a target to reach solar and wind energy generation capacity of 175 Gigawatt by 2022. With their global and cutting edge-expertise and experience, Indian renewable majors are ready to partner Vietnam.
- Indian IT services including digital economy and fin-tech sector have much to offer to Vietnamese growth. We must encourage our start-up sectors and innovation based industry to leverage each other. The Indian start-up ecosystem ranks third globally. This year has been particularly successful for us, with over 1200 tech-startups taking wings. We must also learn from each other on how to improve productivity; how to approach the Fourth Industrial Revolution; how to promote innovation and entrepreneurship; and not the least, how to leverage technology for governance.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- Vietnam-India economic relations are on a steady path. We have made significant achievement no doubt, but a lot more is waiting to happen. The energy and enthusiasm in this room, in this city and in this country are an indication of the opportunities before us. I invite Indian and Vietnamese businesses to partner in each other for trade, technology and investment collaboration. I once again thank the Government of Vietnam and all Industry stakeholders for making today’s business forum a success.
Thank you.
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AKT/VJ/SBP
President's Secretariat
19-November, 2018 18:44 IST
President of India in Vietnam; addresses Vietnam-India business forum, reviews ASI-supported restoration project in ancient temple complex
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, reached Hanoi today (November 19, 2018) as part of his two-nation state visit to Vietnam and Australia. Later in the afternoon, the President addressed the Vietnam-India Business Forum in the Vietnamese capital. Speaking at the Business Forum event, the President said India and Vietnam are old civilisational friends, and trade is a driving force of our contemporary partnership. In the past eight years, there has been an almost four-fold increase in bilateral trade, from US$ 3.7 billion in 2010 to US$ 12.8 billion in 2017. With both Vietnam and India on a path of high growth, this trend is expected to continue.
The President said the Vietnam-India business relationship presents prospects for engagement in financial services, IT and the digital economy, hydrocarbons, defence, renewable energy, mining, healthcare, tourism and civil aviation, among other sectors. The President said Vietnam is a very important trading partner for India within ASEAN, and India is now among the 10 largest trading partners of Vietnam. He emphasised that Vietnam-India economic relations have made significant achievements, but a lot more is waiting to happen. He invited Indian and Vietnamese businesses to partner each other for enhanced trade as well as technology and investment collaboration.
Later in the evening, the President addressed an impressive gathering of the Indian community andfriends of India in Vietnam at a reception hosted by Shri P. Harish, Ambassador of India to Vietnam.
Addressing the gathering, the President said the Buddhist Sangha is an important institution promoting friendship between India and Vietnam. He noted that Buddhist monks were as active in nurturing our relations in ancient times as they are today. The President said the Indian community in Vietnam plays a strong role in creating opportunities for the local economy and society. He appreciated the efforts of the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Association and the India Studies Departments of Vietnamese universities in working towards a greater understanding of India.
Yesterday afternoon (November 18, 2018), President Kovind began his state visit to Vietnam when he landed in Da Nang. Later in the evening on November 18, he met the local leadership of the Da Nang People’s Committee and attended a banquet in his honour. This morning (November 19, 2018), the President visited the Museum of Cham Sculpture, which has an impressive collection of Cham civilisation sculptures and carvings, including many inspired by Hinduism and Buddhism.
President Kovind also visited the My Son temple complex in Kwangnan province, where the oldest temples have been dated to the fourth century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the My Son temple complex is among Vietnam’s most cherished cultural treasures. The ancient temples are being restored with support from the Archaeological Survey of India, and the President was briefed on the restoration project.
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AKT/VJ/SBP
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind visiting the Museum of Cham Sculpture, at Da Nang, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind visiting the Museum of Cham Sculpture, at Da Nang, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind visiting the Museum of Cham Sculpture, at Da Nang, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the Museum of Cham Sculpture, at Da Nang, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind visiting My Son - UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind planting a sapling during his visit at My Son - UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Vietnam on November 19, 2018.