Vietnam eyes Czech military supplies as Hanoi tries to pivot away from reliance on Russian arms
- The Czech Republic is in talks to provide military supplies, including aircraft, radars, upgrades of armoured vehicles and firearms to Vietnam
- Prague is positioned to meet Hanoi’s growing security needs as its military firms excel in retrofitting Russian gear. 80 per cent of Vietnam’s arsenal comes from Russia
Security was one of the main topics discussed with Vietnam leaders by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in a three-day visit last week, the official said, noting that security firms were the largest component of the business delegation that accompanied Fiala.
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Hanoi ordered a dozen L-39NG light-combat aircraft in 2021 from Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody, with delivery to begin this year. There are talks to deliver more such planes, said the source, who attended the high-level meetings and asked not to be named because the talks were internal.
At the end of a meeting between Fiala and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Vietnamese government said “the two leaders agreed to step up cooperation in security-defence”, among other fields.
The official said that Prague could support the transfer of weapons technology and local manufacturing if significant supply deals were concluded.