The traditional Indian candle-lighting ceremony opened the gathering in HCM City on August 17 marking the 80th Independence Day of India (August 15, 1947–2026). — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — A get-together was held in HCM City on Monday to mark the 80th Independence Day of India (August 15, 1947–2026), showing solidarity and friendship between people of the southern metropolis and India.

Addressing the event, held by the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisation (HUFO), Huỳnh Thành Lập, Chairman of the Việt Nam–India Friendship Association in HCM City, highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two countries, saying ties had gained fresh momentum following the historic meeting between President Hồ Chí Minh and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954.

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1972, the two countries have upgraded their ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2007 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016, with cooperation expanding steadily across a wide range of areas.

Building on this foundation, the city has strengthened ties with Indian localities. In May, HCM City and Mumbai signed a memorandum of understanding on friendship and cooperation, opening up greater opportunities for collaboration in finance, technology, logistics, urban development, innovation, culture, cinema, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Lập said the municipal friendship association wishes to work with the Indian Consulate General and the Indian Business Association in HCM City to bring people-to-people diplomacy into a new, more substantive and creative phase, contributing to the effective implementation of the enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and India.

Indian Consul General Vipra Pandey expressed appreciation for HCM City’s efforts to promote friendship with India, describing bilateral ties as warm and deep-rooted.

The relationship, he noted, dates back centuries through Buddhism, trade, culture and people-to-people exchanges, and has been strengthened by generations of leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, President Hồ Chí Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

2026 is a landmark year for bilateral ties, marking the 10th anniversary of the Việt Nam–India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. During General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm’s state visit to India in May, the two countries agreed to elevate their relationship to an enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, guided by a shared vision, strategic convergence and substantive cooperation.

Pandey stressed that the strongest foundation for relations between countries is friendship between their people. In HCM City, cultural programmes, educational exchanges and activities marking major national occasions have helped bring India closer to local residents.

He expressed confidence that the enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would continue to grow, driven not only by the two governments but also by businesses, universities, artists, young generations and friends of India in HCM City. — VNA/VNS