Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to embark on a four-day trip to Vietnam and China on Friday, ANI reported. He will meet Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to discuss collaborations in defence, security and trade, and oil exploration. Modi will then proceed to Hangzhou in China, to participate in the G20 summit on September 4 and 5, where he is expected to participate in dialogue on terror financing and cross-border mobility among other issues. The Prime Minister will also head to Laos People's Democratic Republic for the annual Indian-ASEAN and East Asean Summits.

In a post on Facebook, Modi said, "Today evening, I will reach Hanoi marking the start of a very important visit that will further cement the close bond between India and Vietnam. My government attaches a high priority to our bilateral relations with Vietnam." Analysts said China is closely monitoring Modi's visit to Vietnam as Hanoi and Beijing are involved in a dispute over the resource-rich South China Sea.

Modi is also scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit. The agency reported that this is the first time the two leaders will meet after their meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, where Modi requested China to consider India’s application for membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group in a fair and objective manner. Sujata Mehta, secretary (west), Ministry of External Affairs, said Modi will be the lead speaker at a G20 session on inclusive and interconnected development. He will also discuss tax evasion and reduction in remittance transaction.

The prime minister will return to India on September 5 and leave for Laos Peoples Democratic Republic on September 7 to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-India and East Asia summits, where the leaders will discuss politico-security, and economic and socio-cultural cooperation. The leaders will also interact on issues of regional and international interest.