Vietnamese President To Lam to Visit India, Push for BrahMos Missile Deal

New Delhi: Vietnamese President To Lam is expected to visit India next week. His visit is aimed at furthering the strategic and military partnership with India. But the biggest target of his visit is the proposed deal for BrahMos missiles worth about ₹5,800 crore ($700 million). People with knowledge of the matter have been quoted as saying. During Vietnamese President To Lam's visit to India, he is expected to push for the purchase of a range of weapons and defence equipment in addition to buying BrahMos missiles. According to a report in our sister paper ET, the proposed deal could include anti-ship versions of BrahMos, which would help Vietnam enhance its maritime security capabilities. Russia has also agreed to sell BrahMos missiles to the Maldives, which India has jointly developed with Russia. Russia is a trusted friend of India, a long-time ally of Vietnam. According to the report, Russia has backed India's indigenous BrahMos missiles and Lam is the strongest leader in Vietnam after several decades.