India-Vietnam begin joint army exercise, expand scope of drills

The fifth edition of Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise, VINBAX 2024, commenced on Monday in Ambala Cantonment. Joint drills will be held till November 23 in Ambala as well as Chandimandir Military Station, with an increased scope of activities as compared to previous editions.

The exercise is a sequel to previously conducted bilateral exercise in Vietnam in 2023 and a major milestone in strengthening the bilateral relations between India and Vietnam, a defence spokesperson said here.

This edition marks a significant increase in its scope with participation for the first time by personnel of Army and Air Force from both the countries. 

The Indian Army contingent comprising 47 personnel is being represented by a Regiment from the Corps of Engineers along with personnel from other arms and services. The Vietnamese contingent comprising of similar strength will be represented by the troops Vietnam People’s Army.

The aim of VINBAX-2024 is to enhance joint military capability of both sides in employment and deployment of an engineer company and medical teams to undertake engineering tasks as part of a United Nations contingent in peace keeping operations as laid out in Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

The conduct of VINBAX-2024 as a field training exercise with enhanced scope from previous editions of bilateral exercise will strengthen mutual confidence, interoperability and enable sharing of best practices between the Indian Army and Vietnam People’s Army, the spokesperson said.  

A 48-hour validation exercise with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief demonstration, as well as an equipment display is also part of the schedule to assess the standards achieved by both contingents while executing technical military operations.

The joint exercise will also provide an opportunity to the troops of both the contingents to learn about the social and cultural heritages of each other’s country.