07.05.2026 : Vietnamese President describes Mumbai as Gateway of Tourism in Vietnam

07.05.2026 : Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma hosted a reception in honour of the President and General Secretary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Mr Tô Lâm and his ministerial delegation at Lok Bhavan, Mumbai. The Governor’s wife Sudha Dev Varma, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Smt Amruta Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Smt Sunetra Pawar, senior ministers from Vietnam and Maharashtra attended the reception and the banquet. Speaking to the Governor, President Tô Lâm said that the number of Indian tourists visiting Vietnam has increased in recent years and that Mumbai has emerged as a ‘Gateway of Tourism’ for Vietnam. He said Vietnam is keen to expand cooperation with India in the fields of science and technology, startups and incubation in the coming years. Referring to the many similarities between Mumbai and Ho Chi Minh City, he said that sister-city cooperation between the two metropolitan cities would be further strengthened. Welcoming the Vietnamese President to Maharashtra, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma recalled that the great Vietnamese leader President Ho Chi Minh had visited Mumbai in 1958 and was hosted at the same Lok Bhavan by the then Governor. The Governor presented the President with a framed photograph of the historic visit of Ho Chi Minh to Lok Bhavan. Chairman of Legislative Council Ram Shinde, Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Deputy Chairperson of Legislative Council Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Mayor of Mumbai Ritu Tawde, Minister of Skill Development Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Protocol Jaykumar Rawal, Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, Director General of Police Sadanand Date, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and other dignitaries were present. Members of the Politburo and Vietnam’s Ministers for National Security, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Science and Technology, Health, and Industry and Trade were also present at the reception.