Vietnam holds arms exhibition, opens up market, wants to stop relying solely on Russian weapons

By: Mam Pisey

Major Western arms manufacturers such as Boeing Airbus Lockheed Martin are all set to set up booths at the Hanoi arms fair, which opened on Thursday, December 19. The US Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft and the C-130 Super Hercules transport aircraft were also on display. For the first time, Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco (China North Industries Corporation) also displayed its products.

Thousands of people attended the opening day of the exhibition, including Vietnamese military officers in uniform happily posing for photos with American officers who were also there. Next year, Vietnam and the United States will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

It is worth noting that for decades, Vietnam, as a long-standing ally of Russia, has always purchased Russian weapons for its own use. From 1995 to 2023, 80% of Vietnam's weapons purchases came from Russia. This is based on figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, located in Stockholm. However, arms imports from Russia have fallen sharply after Russia invaded Ukraine and Russia was subject to international economic sanctions.

Nguyen Khac Giang, a distinguished fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said the war in Ukraine has highlighted the challenges for Vietnam, which is overly dependent on Russian weapons. He explained that for now, finding new suppliers is not only necessary, but for Vietnam, it can also provide many benefits, such as obtaining modern weapons technology and reducing the risk of relying on a single supplier. Through this arms exhibition, Vietnam wants to show that it is open to new arms suppliers other than Russia.

In his opening speech, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the exhibition sends a message of peace, cooperation and common development. US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said US and Vietnamese companies can work together in many areas, such as technology transfer. The US ambassador said that what the US wants is for Vietnam to be able to defend its interests, whether on land, in the air, at sea or in cyberspace.

It should be noted that in this arms exhibition, there are 14 American companies present, while China has two companies. In addition, there are modern weapons manufacturers from Germany, Iran, Israel, Ukraine and Russia. In addition to fighter jets, tanks, missiles, drones and multi-caliber guns, these companies have brought to display modern radar systems, including some Vietnamese companies.

Credit: @www.rfi.fr.kh