Soldiers of the two countries take a group photo. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW DELHI — The Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX) 2022 started in the Indian state of Haryana on Monday.

Each of the two countries sent 45 personnel to the exercise, which will last until August 21.

The Vietnamese delegation is led by Col. Lưu Đình Hiến, chief commander of the training centre at the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Indian side is headed by Brigadier General Saurabh Bhatnagar, commander of Engineering Brigade 474.

In his opening speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Phạm Sanh Châu highlighted the importance of VINBAX 2022 to the two countries’ defence ties and comprehensive strategic partnership, as they are marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

He thanked the Indian Ministry of Defence, especially Engineering Brigade 474, for creating the best conditions for the Vietnamese delegation to take part in the drill.

He also called on Việt Nam’s military personnel to play an active part in the exercise and learn from India’s experience to make more effective contributions to UN peacekeeping operations in the future.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, Lt. Gen. Prateek Sharma, Commander of the II Corps of India’s Western Command, said VINBAX 2022 is one of the practical cooperation activities held between the two militaries in recent years.

VINBAX 2022, the third exercise on UN peacekeeping between Việt Nam and India, focuses on performing engineering and medical tasks in UN peacekeeping operations. It was upgraded from two previous sand table exercises held in 2018 and 2019. — VNS