Currently, Vietnam is preparing for the international defense exhibition Vietnam Defense Expo 2024, which is set to take place from December 19 to 22, 2024.
"Rosoboronexport" is also preparing its exhibition for this event, but the range of samples presented can be described as quite modest – only three units: the wheeled armored vehicle "Typhoon-K" with the Kornet anti-tank missile system, the coastal missile system "Rubezh-ME" (which we dedicated a separate publication to), and the BMP-3, which will need to be separately equipped with protective grids.
It is possible that in this case, the Russians, with such a modest exhibition, are not just aiming for a "demonstration of presence," but also hoping that Vietnam will indeed purchase something from what is showcased, such as the BMP-3.
Moreover, in theory, such vehicles could be relevant for the Vietnamese military to replace, for instance, 300 Soviet-made PT-76 light tanks that still recall the Vietnam War. Not to mention that Vietnam's coastal defense still utilizes even self-propelled artillery units SU-100 and SU-122 from the Second World War era.
However, the real question is whether Vietnam itself wants to buy new weapons from Russia, especially considering the rather negative history of cooperation with the Russian defense industry, which has manifested in several instances.
For example, we can recall reports that in June 2022, Vietnam opted to order a joint modernization of T-54 and T-55 tanks with Israel instead of purchasing new Russian T-90S tanks, which literally remember Khrushchev. The motive behind this decision was that by February 2022, the Russians had significantly inflated their prices for their machines, and after the start of the full-scale invasion, Vietnam decided not to risk its relations with the USA.
We can also mention the story of Russia's attempt to sell Vietnam a "mini-version" of the Uragan multiple rocket launcher with six launchers, initially named 9A52-4 "Kama," later "Sarma", but this did not lead to any export success. It got to the point that, for instance, at the VIDEX-2022 exhibition, the Russians brought just a display model of the system, no longer expecting any special interest in it.
Although, to be fair, it should be noted that such a "withdrawal" of Russia from the Vietnamese arms market, which was previously considered "traditional," was not immediately noticed by Western analysts. For example, as recently as March 2023, there were statements suggesting that Russia might sell its S-400 and Su-57 to Vietnam, which "explained a lot."
Earlier, Defense Express also reported that in October 2024, Vietnam was discussing weaponry with France, and there could even be a "battle" between Rafale and Su-30MK2 in the future.