The book is the outcome of an international seminar on "India-Vietnam Relations: Retrospect & Prospect" organized by the ICCR in February 2016 in New Delhi. The essays in the volume contain perspectives of scholars, activists, opinion makers, diplomats and cultural historians on the important relationships between India and Vietnam. Though the primary focus is on the cultural component of the ties, other dimensions such as economic and security issues are also covered. Besides the civilizational linkages between the two countries that complement the present bilateral ties, the essays demonstrate how India's cultural links were very different from other cultural influences in Vietnam that had aggressive intent. Indian voyagers who settled in some parts of Vietnam were smoothly integrated into the Vietnamese society. In modern times, Rabindra-nath Tagore's sane counsel for a peaceful Asia found greater acceptance and appeal in Vietnam. The people of Vietnam appreciated Tagore's advocacy of non-violence, non-confron-tational and egalitarian society that encouraged social mobility and this is remembered even today. India always stood with Vietnamese people in their struggle against foreign rule and welcomed Ho Chi Minh as a friend of India is remembered with gratitude in Vietnam. The essays offer valuable insights from both Indian and Vietna-mese perspectives.