Indian naval ships INS Udaygiri and INS Kavaratti arrived at Nha Rong Port in Ho Chi Minh City on 22 June during an Eastern Fleet deployment in South-East Asia.
INS Udaygiri is a stealth frigate and INS Kavaratti is an anti-submarine warfare corvette. Both warships were designed and built in India.
The group is led by Rear Admiral Alok Ananda, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. Personnel from the Vietnam People's Navy, representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and port authorities received the ships at a ceremonial welcome.
The programme includes professional interaction between the two navies, cross-deck exchanges, sporting fixtures and community outreach. Senior naval leaders are also scheduled to meet and exchange views on bilateral cooperation.
Cross-deck activity gives personnel an opportunity to see how the other navy organises work and equipment aboard ship. The wider set of interactions is intended to reinforce working relationships alongside the formal leadership meetings.
The Indian Navy described the visit as its first major presence in Vietnam since the bilateral relationship was elevated to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2026.
That timing gives the port call diplomatic significance beyond a routine replenishment stop. It provides an early naval engagement under the upgraded relationship while the ships are already deployed in the region.
The release did not announce a new agreement. The confirmed programme consists of ship visits, professional exchanges and public activity intended to strengthen an existing maritime partnership between India and Vietnam.
The frigate and anti-submarine corvette give the Vietnamese hosts contact with two different classes of Indian-built warship during the same Eastern Fleet visit.
