Vietnam

Personnel & posture

Active personnel

482k

Reserve / mobilization pool

5.0M

Mobilization window

~14 days to full field army

Alliance

Independent / Russia arms legacy

GDP (est.)

$433B

Defense spending (est.)

$7.8B

Order of battle

• Vietnam People's Navy

  • Kilo-class SSK6

    Russian submarine

  • Gepard-class frigate4

    Primary surface combatant

  • BPS-500 / patrol craft20 – 40

    Coastal patrol

  • Naval infantry brigade4 – 6

    Amphibious & island

• Vietnam People's Air Force

  • Su-30MK236

    Flanker strike

  • Su-22M430 – 40

    Ground attack

  • L-39 / Yak-13040 – 60

    Trainer/light attack

• Air defense

  • S-300PMU-12 – 4

    Long-range SAM

  • SA-6 / SA-13 mix20 – 40

    Tactical SAM

• Coastal defense

  • Kh-35 / Bastion50 – 100

    Anti-ship cruise

• Ground forces

  • T-90S / T-54/551,200 – 1,500

    Main battle tanks

• Unmanned systems

  • Viettel tactical UAS50 – 100

    Domestic ISR

• Mobilization

  • People's Army of Vietnam482,000 – 5,000,000

    Mass mobilization doctrine

Bases & infrastructure (28)

• Vietnam Ministry of Defense

  hub

  National command and crisis coordination

  command

• Vietnam Army Headquarters

  military base

  Ground forces command and mobilization center

  army

• Vietnam Primary Air Base

  airport

  Combat aviation and airlift hub

  air

• Vietnam Naval Base

  port

  Fleet homeport and coastal defense

  naval

• Vietnam Main Seaport

  port

  Strategic maritime trade and logistics gateway

  trade

• Vietnam Defense Industrial Complex

  factory

  Ammunition, vehicles, and sustainment production

  manufacturing

• Vietnam Munitions plant

  factory

  Artillery shells, small arms, explosives

  ammunition

• Vietnam Oil & gas refinery

  factory

  Fuel processing and petrochemicals

  energy

• Vietnam Integrated Air Defense Site

  military base

  Long-range SAM coverage for capital region

  air_defense

• Vietnam Early Warning Radar

  military base

  Air and missile tracking

  air_defense

• Vietnam Combined Arms Training Area

  military base

  Brigade-level exercises and mobilization

  training

• Vietnam Border Defense Outpost

  military base

  Frontier surveillance and rapid response

  army

• Vietnam Cyber Command Center

  hub

  Offensive/defensive cyber operations

  cyber

• Vietnam Forward Corps HQ

  military base

  Theater-level ground command

  army

• Vietnam Secondary Airfield

  airport

  Dispersal, training, and surge capacity

  air

• Ministry of National Defence Hanoi

  hub

  Vietnam People's Army HQ.

  command

• Cam Ranh Bay naval base

  port

  Strategic deep-water anchorage.

  naval

• Hai Phong naval shipyard

  port

  Northern fleet & Vinashin yards.

  naval

• Da Nang air base region

  airport

  Central coast air operations.

  air

• Spratly Islands garrison complex

  military base

  Disputed South China Sea outposts.

  naval

• Fiery Cross Reef sector

  military base

  Chinese-built reef proximity.

  naval

• Johnson South Reef vicinity

  military base

  Disputed reef zone.

  naval

• Viettel military telecom

  factory

  Defence electronics and cyber.

  electronics

• Vinashin shipbuilding

  factory

  Naval and commercial yards.

  naval

• Lang Son border sector

  military base

  China frontier garrison.

  army

• Hai Phong export manufacturing hub

  port

  Electronics & apparel supply chain.

  trade · manufacturing

• Cam Ranh Bay patrol sector

  port

  South China Sea deep-water hub.

  naval · shipping

• Spratly garrison resupply

  military base

  Disputed reef logistics.

  naval · supply

Deployable units (18)

• 1st Mechanized Brigade (Vietnam)armor
• 3rd Infantry Division HQarmy
• 7th Artillery Regimentarmy
• Air Defense Battalion (capital)sam
• Special Operations Task Grouparmy
• Coastal Defense Regimentnavy
• Tactical UAV Squadrondrone
• Logistics Support Brigadefacility · Supply and transport hub
• Armored Cavalry Squadronarmor
• Combat Aviation Wing (detachment)air
• Kilo-class submarine squadronnavy · 6 Russian-built SSK
• Gepard-class frigatenavy · Russian-built frigate
• Su-30MK2 Flanker squadronair · 36-airframe strike fighter
• Su-22M4 ground attackair · Legacy strike
• Coastal defense cruise missilefacility · Kh-35 / Bastion mix
• Naval infantry brigadearmor · Island assault
• S-300PMU-1 air defense regimentsam · Long-range SAM
• Spratly island defense battalionarmy · Reef garrison force

Theater glossary

Spratly Islands

Disputed South China Sea archipelago — Vietnamese garrisons.

Cam Ranh Bay

Deep-water naval base — strategic anchorage.

Su-30MK2

Russian Flanker — Vietnamese air strike backbone.

Kilo-class

Russian diesel submarine — Vietnam's undersea force.

People's Army

VPA — one of Southeast Asia's largest militaries.

Bamboo diplomacy

Vietnam balances China, US, and Russia relationships.

Chokepoint

Narrow sea or land passage where trade or military traffic can be blocked.

Rare earth

Elements used in magnets, motors, and precision weapons — China dominates refining.

SPR

Strategic Petroleum Reserve — emergency crude stockpile.

TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing — advanced logic fab cluster.

Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz — ~20% of global oil transits.

Malacca

Strait of Malacca — busiest shipping lane between Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Suwałki corridor

Poland–Lithuania land bridge — NATO logistics vulnerability.

Cobalt belt

DRC–Zambia mining corridor — battery supply chain.

Lithium triangle

Chile–Argentina–Bolivia brine deposits — EV battery input.

Grain corridor

Black Sea / Danube export routes — global food security.

Red Sea corridor

Bab el-Mandeb through Suez — Houthi interdiction risk.

Taiwan Strait lane

Kaohsiung–Busan chip & container sea lane under blockade exercise.

Black Sea grain lane

Odesa/Danube export routes under missile and mine threat.

Horn access lane

Djibouti–Massawa–Assab Red Sea port competition axis.