India's Ambassador-designate Tshering Wangchuk Sherpa called on Vietnam's Politburo member and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMNAP) Nguyen Xuan Thang besides meeting other senior office bearers of HCMNAP in Hanoi, on Tuesday.

Ambassador Sherpa, a 2002 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Vietnam in September. He served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) before his latest appointment.

"Bridging ideas across domains between India and Vietnam. Ambassador-designate Tshering W Sherpa called on Politbureau Member and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMNAP) H. E. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thang and met senior Office Bearers of HCMNAP in Hanoi, today. Both sides reaffirmed enhancing cooperation and intensifying collaboration in new areas such as critical & emerging technologies," the Embassy of India in Hanoi posted on X.

With people-to-people links being the backbone of bilateral relations with Vietnam, the Embassy of India and the Indian community in Hanoi showcased the cuisine of Incredible India, traditional handicrafts and the magic of henna art at the International Culinary Cultural Festival in Hanoi, last week. Members of the Indian community also performed classical Indian dances at the festival.

On November 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his counterpart from Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit.

"PM Phạm Minh Chính of Vietnam and I met in Johannesburg. Our commitment to a stronger, future-oriented friendship between India and Vietnam remains steadfast," PM Modi posted on X after the meeting on Saturday.

With Buddhism being the spiritual and cultural bond between India and Vietnam, India's Ambassador-designate had also called on Thich Duc Thien, Vice President and Secretary General of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, at the Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi last week, expressing New Delhi's strong commitment to further strengthening the special bond.