Image source: topwar.ru
On August 10, Vietnam hosted a ceremony dedicated to the start of construction of the first multi-purpose frigate of its own design, designed for the country's Navy. The executor of the order is the local Song Thu Corporation, which has a shipyard in Da Nang, where the work will be carried out. At the same time, it is currently unclear how many ships are planned to be built in this series.
Up to this point, Hanoi had relied on supplies from the USSR, and subsequently from Russia, to complete its fleet. In particular, it is armed with 4 frigates of the Cheetah 3.9 project (project 11661) and 6 diesel-electric submarines of the 636.1 Varshavyanka type. However, in recent years, Vietnam has been striving to develop its own military-industrial complex, which eventually affected the shipbuilding sector.
The Defense Ministry noted that the new frigate will have a very high level of localization, affecting both equipment and combat systems.
The frigate project:
Image source: topwar.ru
The technical specifications were not officially announced. According to estimates by Western observers, the ship will have a displacement of 2,500 to 3,000 tons, a length of about 105 m and will receive a significant part of the stuffing of Russian origin. In the bow, there will be a pair of RBU-6000 type rocket launchers, which will house a 76-mm gun based on the AK-176, which is already being produced at local facilities at the Z173 and Z125 plants. Two eight-barrel launchers for dipole reflectors will be located next to it (and two more at the stern, next to the hangar).
Next, two sections of the VPU will be installed, each of which will contain 12 cells. Given their rather large dimensions, there is a version that they will be equipped with 4 TLĐK-01 missiles from Viettel with a firing range of about 70 km. However, adaptation of these missiles for marine applications is required.
The frigate project:
Image source: topwar.ru
Above the bridge there will be two paired MANPADS launchers, which are manufactured at the Z131 factory and can be used to counter UAVs. The middle superstructure will house two quad launchers for anti-ship missiles, possibly the Viettel VCM family. Two rotary twin 533-mm tanks will be mounted inside the hull, and a pair of 30-mm AK-630M melee systems manufactured by the Z173 plant will be installed behind the chimney.
In the aft part there is a landing pad and a hangar capable of accommodating, for example, the Ka-28 helicopter, which is in service with Vietnam. Above the superstructure of the bridge is a multifunctional radar with a phased array antenna and 4 fixed panels, possibly from Viettel. A fire control radar will also be located above it. The combat control system and electronic warfare equipment will be supplied by Viettel. The ship will be equipped with on-board sonar and, possibly, towed gas.
The frigate will be powered by 4 engines (apparently, 2 diesels and 2 gas turbines). Previously, Vietnam was critically dependent on supplies from Ukraine (Zorya-Mashproekt from Mykolaiv). In modern realities, it is highly likely that diesel engines will be purchased from the German company MTU (Vietnam has experience in integrating them), and gas turbines from India, China or Russia.
The draft corvette of the upgraded PS-500 project:
Image source: topwar.ru
The construction is expected to be completed within 36 months. This is a pretty tight schedule, given the lack of experience in building such a large ship. At the same time, since October 2025, Vietnam has been manufacturing missile corvettes on its own according to the deeply modernized Russian PS-500 project, which have "replenished" to 850 tons of displacement.
