From submariners training in St Petersburg to secret discussions with India to obtain state-of-the-art cruise missiles, Vietnam's naval expansion is attracting considerable notice across the region.
While China's naval build-up dominates regional military discussions, particularly its potential as an eventual challenger to the long-dominant Asian presence of the US, Vietnam's attempt to create a maritime deterrent against its giant neighbour is being closely watched by military attaches and strategists.
A string of recent developments - beyond the announcement in late 2009 that Vietnam would acquire six Kilo class diesel-electric submarines from Russia - confirm a shift in priorities from its once-formidable army to its long-neglected navy as South China Sea disputes intensify.
While Vietnamese military chiefs couch the build-up in purely defensive terms that reflect a growing economy, People's Liberation Army strategists confirm privately they are watching developments.
'Of course, such developments are natural to a certain extent,' one PLA strategist said. 'Our main concern in the short-term is that Hanoi becomes overconfident and all these plans lead to bellicosity. They must know that would be destabilising.'
A key part of the evolving naval strategy is Hanoi's broadening and deepening military relationships. While Russia - Vietnam's cold war patron - continues to be vital, recent acquisitions have included deals involving the Czech Republic, Canada, Israel and, significantly, India.
The Indian-Vietnamese military relationship is being closely watched in Beijing, where officials have formally and repeatedly objected to Indian oil exploration deals in disputed waters off the Vietnamese coast. Those objections, however, have not stopped a military relationship from expanding on several fronts.