New Delhi, Sept. 28 -- The national capital recently witnessed two launches within weeks of each other. On 11 August, Elon Musk's Tesla had a lowkey launch for its second showroom in India, in Delhi's Aerocity. The global brand had only one model on display with a small crowd in attendance.

On 6 September, a stone's throw away from Tesla's showroom, VinFast Auto Ltd, a little-known Vietnamese brand, made a much bigger splash. In a large ballroom that could easily hold more than 100 people, the company's leadership officially launched two new sports utility vehicles, VF6 and VF7.

Former diplomat Pham Sanh Chau, who served as Vietnam's ambassador to India between October 2018 and September 2022, is now the chief executive overseeing South...