The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) held their 7th High-Level Meeting (HLM) in Chennai on August 25, 2026. The meeting took place under the 2015 MoU on Coast Guard Cooperation and focused on deepening maritime ties between the two nations.

Key Discussions Under 7th High-Level Meeting Between Indian Coast Guard and Vietnam Coast Guard

The talks were jointly led by Director General Paramesh Sivamani from the Indian side and Major General Luong Dinh Hung, Vice Commandant of the Vietnam Coast Guard.
Their discussions centred around four major areas: search and rescue operations at sea, maritime law enforcement, tackling marine pollution, and building operational capacity.
Both sides took stock of past cooperation efforts, including officer exchanges and ship visits, and agreed to keep this momentum going.
A recurring theme in the meeting was the need for regular institutional contact through training programmes, exchange of best practices, and more frequent ship visits to build stronger trust and smoother coordination between the two forces.
The meeting also reaffirmed a shared goal: working together to keep regional waters safe, secure, and environmentally sustainable, reflecting the broader friendship between India and Vietnam.

India-Vietnam Coast Guard Joint Exercise, SAHYOG-HOPTAC

Following up on the HLM's discussions, the two Coast Guards are set to conduct a joint exercise at sea named SAHYOG-HOPTAC on August 27, 2026. This exercise gives both forces a practical opportunity to test how well they can coordinate during real operations, sharpen their interoperability, and learn from each other's operational practices.