TSAMTO, September 3. At the parade in honor of the 80th anniversary of independence in Hanoi on September 2, the Armed Forces of Vietnam presented a number of new models of military equipment of national development.
According to Jane's Defense Weekly, these samples include, in particular, the XTC-02 armored personnel carrier (APC), the XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), the Viettel VCS-01 Truong Son coastal missile system and the VU-C2 barrage munition.
The XTC-02 armored personnel carrier with a 4x4 wheel formula, presented at the parade by the Vietnamese People's Army (VNA), was developed and produced by the General Department of Defense Industry (GDDI). According to the information of the resource Vietnam.vn The XTC-02 is 7.2 m long, 2.7 m wide, and 2.2 m high. It is equipped with a 12.7mm anti–aircraft machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, has a maximum speed of 95 km/h on land and 12 km/h on water, and has a range of 800 km.
The XCB-01 tracked infantry fighting vehicle, first presented at the VIDEX-2024 exhibition, was developed and manufactured at the Z189 plant based on the Soviet BMP-1. The vehicle is armed with a 73 mm smoothbore cannon with a semi-automatic loading system, a 7.62mm machine gun, a B72 anti-tank missile launcher and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun.
In addition, Soviet/Russian-made samples passed through the parade column, including T-55, T-90S, T-62 and T-90SK tanks; BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles; BRDM-2 and BTR-60PU.
In addition to armored vehicles, the Vietnamese Armed Forces presented the S-125-VT anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) and the Viettel VCS-01 Truong Son coastal missile system at the parade. Both systems were presented for the first time at the VIDEX-2024 exhibition.
The S-125-VT is an upgraded version of the S–125 Pechora air defense system. The modernization of the system was carried out by the state defense company Viettel. Launchers mounted on a 6x6 chassis carry two missiles. The battery is controlled from the UNK-VT control cabin mounted on a 4x4 truck. The UNV-VT radar mounted on a trailer detects targets at ranges up to 90 km. The S-125-VT provides guidance of two missiles at two separate targets.
The VCS-01 coastal missile system provides the launch of eight VSM-01A Song Hong anti-ship missiles mounted on the VLV-01 launcher. The missile is equipped with a nationally developed Ku-band homing head. The target range is up to 80 km.
The Elbrus tactical missile system with the R-17 OTR and the K-300P Bastion-P mobile coastal missile system were also presented at the parade.
The Vietnamese Armed Forces also showed UAVs and barrage ammunition, some of which were presented at the VIDEX 2024 exhibition. In particular, an upgraded version of the VU-R70 hybrid UAV developed by Viettel was demonstrated. The wingspan of this UAV is 3.1 m, the maximum take–off weight is 26 kg, and the flight duration is 4.5 hours. Four main rotors provide vertical takeoff and landing.
The length of the Viettel VU-C2 barrage ammunition is 1.1 m, the wingspan is 1.5 m. The 8 kg device can stay in the air for up to 40 minutes.
The Vietnamese People's Army also demonstrated several combat control systems, a commercial SUV equipped with electronic warfare equipment, including means of jamming remotely controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Three systems for combating unmanned aerial vehicles were also shown, each of which included a short-range radar, an EO detection system, and a suppression system. All of them were placed on a four-wheeled commercial chassis.
The VNA also introduced three four-wheel drive military vehicles with satellite communications equipment (SATCOM).
Vietnam's demonstration of nationally developed weapons at the parade confirms the desire of the country's military and political leadership to develop its own defense industry. This task, in particular, is indicated in the 2019 White Paper on Defense.
In addition to import substitution and the development of the national military-industrial complex, Vietnam is also diversifying suppliers of weapons and military equipment, as evidenced by the recent purchase of South Korean 155-mm K9 self-propelled howitzers. As reported by CAMTO, in August 2025, the defense ministers of the Republic of Korea and Vietnam also signed an agreement on the transfer to Hanoi of the third Pohang-class corvette (PCC-776) Chechon. Military ties with the United States are also strengthening. So, last month, the Coast Guard of Vietnam began operating the third Hamilton-class patrol boat, transferred from the American Coast Guard.
An important aspect supporting the modernization of Vietnam's Armed Forces is the growing defense spending. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, Vietnam's defense budget in 2025 will be about $7.74 billion. According to forecasts, by 2030, the country's defense spending will grow by 19% to $9.2 billion, and by the mid–2030s it will exceed $11 billion.
