NEW DELHI — Việt Nam will welcome and create favourable conditions for Indian firms to join programmes and projects on information technology in Việt Nam, Minister of Information and Communications Trương Minh Tuấn said.

The minister said this during talks with Indian Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha in New Delhi on Monday during his visit to India.

He asserted that "Việt Nam and India have high potential to promote partnership through increasing exchange of information and experiences at all levels", thus implementing co-operation activities in a sustainable and effective manner.

He lauded India’s credit package of US$1 billion for digital connectivity projects in ASEAN member countries, including Việt Nam, while expressing his hope to learn more from India’s experience in designing policies and legal regulations in management of post and telecommunication, 4G and 5G services, public and rural communications, and digital connectivity.

For his part, Sinha stated that the Indian government has focused on programmes connecting people, especially in rural areas, and was ready to share its experience on this issue with Việt Nam.

He said he hoped talks with his Vietnamese counterpart as well as meetings between businesses of both sides would create momentum for the two countries to boost ties, especially in post and telecommunications.

During the talks, Tuấn said, over the past years, Việt Nam’s communication sector enjoyed rapid and sustainable growth, significantly contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

The Việt Nam-Indian relationship had been growing in all fields and had become deeper since the two sides lifted their ties following a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016, with stronger co-operation in information and communication technology (ICT), he said.

Since Việt Nam began its reform 30 years ago, Indian ICT firms had invested in Việt Nam, including large businesses such as APTECH and NIIT, he said. "Indian enterprises are strong in capital, technology and international trade experience, thus they will continue achieving more success in Việt Nam."

The two ministers affirmed that the two sides would continue discussing the publishing of a joint stamp collection to mark the 45th anniversary of Việt Nam-India diplomatic relations, while increasing delegation exchanges to boost bilateral co-operation in post and telecommunication.

Earlier, the two ministers attend the opening of a business workshop on Việt Nam-India digital technology connectivity projects, during which participants discussed potential and opportunities of co-operation in areas of shared interest. — VNS