New Delhi Dec 17 PTI Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said the rich influence of Buddhism in the daily life of the people of Vietnam is acting as a strong connecting link between the cultures and societies of the two countries Naidu welcomed Chairman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue and other members of the parliamentary delegation of the southeast Asian country at his office in Parliament on Friday He said under the leadership of Vuong Dinh Hue the National Assembly is playing an important role in shaping Vietnams COVID-19 pandemic responses including socio-economic revival Recalling his visit to Vietnam in 2019 to attend the International Vesak Day celebration Naidu said during his visit he observed the rich influence of Buddhism in the daily life of the people of Vietnam which had truly enriched the way of life of people and also acting as a strong connecting link between the two cultures and societies While speaking on the bilateral cooperation between the two countries Naidu said Vietnam is an important pillar of Indias Act East Policy and a key partner for Indo-Pacific Vision He was elated to note that India-Vietnams bilateral engagements have diversified across a wide-range of areas of cooperation from political exchanges to defence partnership trade commerce and investment relations development cooperation and cultural and people-to-people relations a statement from the Vice Presidents office said Speaking on parliamentary cooperation between the two countries the Rajya Sabha chairman said India-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Groups in the respective Parliaments have been contributing to strengthen the bilateral cooperation Reflecting on the visit of Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan the then Chairperson of Vietnamese National Assembly in December 2016 Naidu highlighted that a cooperation agreement was signed between the Lok Sabha and the Vietnamese National Assembly for strengthening parliamentary cooperation Naidu also underlined that Economic cooperation has been an important pillar under the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Vietnam He also added that Trade Ministries of both the countries should work together to increase market access in various sectors like pharmaceuticals oil and gas minerals agro-processing IT and agricultural products While highlighting Indias long-standing and mutually beneficial partnership with Vietnam in the energy sector he said Indias ONGC Videsh Limited OVL has over three-decade long presence in Vietnams offshore energy projects and is keen on seeking 15-year extension of the existing arrangement beyond May 2023 when the current Memorandum of Understanding MoU between OVL and Petro-Vietnam PVN expires Naidu also stressed the need to strengthen bilateral engagement with Vietnam in areas such as defence industry cooperation maritime security capacity building programmes and UN Peacekeeping India and Vietnam have been working together at the UNSC as non-permanent members that in turn contributing in shaping the post-pandemic global political and economic order he said Naidu expressed that India is looking forward to continue working closely with Vietnam in line with the strong convergence between Indias Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative IPOI and ASEANs Outlook on Indo-Pacific AOIP Speaking on the COVID-19 cooperation Naidu said the virtual summit between the Prime Ministers of India and Vietnam in December 2020 guided both countries to continue strengthening the multi-dimensional bilateral relations while collaborating in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic Naidu extended gratitude to the government and people of Vietnam for timely supplying equipment related to oxygen and supporting Indias fight against the pandemic during the recent second wave Highlighting India and Vietnams common historical and civilizational links through their shared heritage of Buddhism and Cham traditions he said both countries should leverage these to generate greater mutual awareness and cultural tourism and people-to-people exchanges Marking the occasion of 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam in 2022 the RS chairman proposed both Parliaments to make plan to organize some commemorative joint events both in New Delhi and Hanoi The delegation led by Vuong Dinh Hue appreciated the friendly relationships between the two countries and hoped that such visit would further strengthen the existing bonds according to the statement PTI SKC CK