India to supply four fast patrol boats to Vietnam

By Viet Anh   August 30, 2016 | 07:59 pm PT
More patrol boats means more military muscle to defend the country's waters.

India is likely to ink a deal to supply four offshore patrol boats to the Vietnamese military during the upcoming visit to Vietnam by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in early September, Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish told VnExpress on Tuesday.

Modi is scheduled to visit Vietnam from September 2-3 enroute to China for the G-20 Summit.

The deal is part of India’s $100-million line of credit extended to Vietnam during a trip to India in October 2014 by the then Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The supply contracts for the 140-ton fast patrol boats were discussed by the two sides during the visit to Vietnam by Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar in June.

The Hindu Business Line reported in August last year that India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) was in advanced talks to secure an order from Vietnam to supply 14 fast patrol boats to the Southeast Asian nation.

India is also likely to offer additional financial support to Hanoi's military establishment that may be used to train armed forces and undertake further repair and maintenance of defense hardware, India’s The Economic Times reported on August 29.

The two countries established a strategic partnership in 2007.

Related news:

Vietnam Coast Guard muscles up with high-speed patrol boats

U.S. to provide 18 patrol boats to Vietnam

 
 
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