The Modernisation of Vietnamese Armed Forces in the Last Decade – Achievements and Challenges

Abstract

Vietnam is one of the regional powers of Southeast Asia, with unique foreign and security policy aspirations. However, after the Cold War, its armed forces were characterised by outdated military-technology, while the country had permanent territorial disputes with its neighbours over certain archipelagos in the South China Sea. In the last decade however, the development of the People’s Army of Vietnam has accelerated, and in several cases, significant modernisation has been achieved through the acquisition of new equipment. This paper examines the military modernisation trends of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the last decade, based on the Military Balance+ database and other sources.