Defense Minister Rajnath Singh donates $1 million from India for IT lab in Vietnam

New Delhi :  Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday announced $1 million to set up a language and IT laboratory at the Air Force Officers Training School in Vietnam. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited training institutes in Vietnam on June 10, the last day of his three-day official visit to the Southeast Asian nation. Rajnath Singh, who is in Vietnam to enhance defense cooperation between the two countries, began his day with a visit to the Air Force Officers Training School in Nha Trang.

He gave one million dollars on behalf of the Indian government to set up a language and IT laboratory in the school here. Addressing the officials at the school, Rajnath Singh expressed hope that the laboratory would make a significant contribution to sharpening the language and IT skills of the Air Defense and Air Force personnel of Vietnam. Later Rajnath Singh visited the University of Telecommunications in Nha Trang, where an Army Software Park is being set up with a grant of US$ 5 million from the Government of India. The grant was announced during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam in September 2016.

During his visit to Vietnam, the Defense Minister held bilateral talks with the Minister of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang, and also called on Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Shun.Earlier on June 9, Rajnath Singh handed over 12 high speed guard boats to Vietnam during his visit to Hong Ha Shipyard in Hai Phong. The boats have been built under the Defense Line of Credit of US$ 100 million from the Government of India to Vietnam.

The five boats launched have been built in India at Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipyard and seven more at Hong Ha Shipyard. Senior military and civilian officials from India and Vietnam were also present during the ceremony. Raksha Mantri invited Vietnam to be a part of India’s defense industrial transformation through increased cooperation.

Defense Minister in his address described this project as a shining example of ‘Make in India, Make for the world’ envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that it is a shining and golden example of ‘Make in India, Make for the world’ approach and professional excellence of the Indian defense manufacturing sector.