As Vietnam’s Russian arms supplies dry up, who will it turn to for weapons?

The Southeast Asian nation placed no new major orders last year, new figures show, with its Russian arms deals taking a hit from the Ukraine war

South Korea is an option. But observers say the Vietnamese military is stuck in its ways – and continued covert Russian deals may be more attractive

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Vietnamese soldiers stand next to missiles on display at the country’s first international defence expo in Hanoi in December 2022. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:30am, 24 Mar 2024

Vietnam’s arms imports from traditional security partner Russia are dwindling, the latest figures show, leading observers to call for it to diversify or build up its own domestic defence industry fast.

The Southeast Asian nation placed no new major orders last year, according to figures released last week by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute defence think tank – despite it having an estimated annual weapons-procurement budget of more than US$1 billion.

“Diversification is often easier said than done because it requires moving away from old established ties and building new trusted relationships,” said Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the Wilson Centre think tank in Washington and founder of the weekly Asean Wonk newsletter.

“Vietnam will likely continue to put its eggs in more baskets, with a more diverse mix of countries that include partners in Asia and Europe, beyond just the US.”

Vietnam’s then-President Vo Van Thuong shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Beijing in October last year. Photo: Sputnik/via Reuters

Amid on-off tensions with China, Vietnam had been among the world’s 20 largest arms importers in recent decades, sourcing much of its equipment from Russia – with imports hitting a peak of more than US$1 billion in 2014.

But the figure last year was negligible by comparison, according to the institute. In fact, 2023 saw Vietnam import the fewest weapons since 2007, by volume.

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