LEGACY OF PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH AND INDIA–VIETNAM TIES

Abstract

Vietnam’s foreign policy and its engagement with India have been guided by President Ho Chi Minh’s ideas on nationalism and international solidarity. In this background, the paper highlights how Ho Chi Minh’s vision of South–South cooperation goes together with India’s commitment to multilateralism and regional stability. The author compares Ho Chi Minh with other contemporary world leaders including Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. It argues that promoting Ho Chi Minh’s thought in the 21st century is a tribute to a strategic and normative framework for building a just, inclusive, and peaceful Indo-Pacific order. The paper also explores the legacy of Ho Chi Minh and his relevance to the evolving Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Vietnam, focusing on defence, economic cooperation, cultural exchange, and multilateral engagements. Adopting a constructivist approach, the study interprets Ho Chi Minh’s principles of solidarity, independence, and self-reliance as normative forces shaping contemporary India–Vietnam relations. The analysis demonstrates how both nations embody his ideals through diplomacy, mutual respect, and the pursuit of shared prosperity in the Global South.