Vietnam People's Army

[xinhui]

airborne, VPA style.

[hanswu25]

They are definitely not soldiers but members of amateur aviation club (look at the girl with four eyes).
Most of North Vietnam's airborn units ceased to exist after 1965 except one special airborn recon. unit (company level) which belongs to military intelligence department. Those guys are trained with dirty techniques like kidnapping, demolition or infiltration so information about them is rarely heard or seen in public.
Let's be sastified with some photos from the amateurs (those kids are so rich).

[xinhui]

M113 still in service.

[hanswu25]

it is unclear whether they were upgraded or bought new (Hwasong-6??) but the current stock has a longer range from 500-900km.

Director of this program is Prof. Dr. Col. Nguyen Duc Cuong, a graduated from Zhukovski Academy, Soviet Union. He is the author of one calculation software for Whitcomb wing of jet fighter in 1981, one of the top secret invention at that time which can be found in Soviet archive under the serial 972771. Vietnam's ballistic missile program is new, only started since 2005.

[emotionless]

...

Although for the MP5, I'm rather curious as to where they were obtained...unless of course Germany has no problems with small arms sales to Vietnam.
...

pakistan also produced mp-5(and has marketed it),so it might be possible that they acquired new one from pakistan

[xinhui]

Despite India's protests, Vietnam buys arms from Pakistan

By IANS
Friday August 17, 10:43 AM
New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Ignoring concerns of its long standing ally India, Vietnam has purchased a second consignment of small arms from Pakistan.

According to Jane's Defence Weekly, Vietnam acquired 100 SMG-PK 9 mm submachine guns and 50 sniper rifles from the state-run Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) in Rawalpindi as a follow-on order to an equal number of similar weapons it purchased last year.


The SMG-PK is configured on the Heckler & Koch MP5 series of which four models are available.


http://in.news.yahoo.com/070817/43/6jjue.html

[hanswu25]

Another US KIA in Nam?

[hanswu25]

Carlyle A. Thayer
Vietnam People’s Army: Development and Modernization
August 2009

...
Vietnam has been in the market for armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and main battle tanks (MBTs). In April 2001, it was reported that Vietnam had commenced a modest domestic overhaul of about fifty M113 APCs. The upgrade was carried out by military factory Z-751 in Ho Chi Minh City utilising spare parts obtained through commercial sources and weapons stocks captured at the conclusion of the Vietnam War.
...
Israel Military Industries is currently undertaking a pilot program in Vietnam to upgrade its T-55 main battle tanks with a view to winning a contract to upgrade Vietnam’s entire stock of 850 T-54/55 MBTs. The Israeli program includes upgrading armour, installation of night vision, and an improved fire control system (reportedly manufactured in Poland).
In May 2002, Vietnam and the Ukraine reached agreement on military-technical cooperation up to 2005. Under the terms of this memorandum the Ukraine will provide major assistance to Vietnam to upgrade its armour and artillery forces, arms co-production and repairing, upgrading and supply of all types of unspecified equipment and weapons.
...
In late 1999, it was reported that the Russian state armaments authority, Rosoooruzheniye, had entered into discussions to upgrade Vietnam’s inventory of Su-27s and Su-30s so that they could operate the Vympel R-177 (AA-12) beyond visual range air-to-air missile, the Kh-31 (AS-17) anti-ship missile and the Vympel Kh-29 (AS-14) and Kh-59M (AS-18) air-to-surface missiles.
...
Ukraine agreed to provide assistance to Vietnam to upgrade its air defence, including radar, communications and surface-to-air missiles. But the Ukraine did not report any missile sales to Vietnam in its annual reports to UNROCA for this period. In 2008 Vietnam reportedly acquired four Kolchuga passive sensor systems from the Ukraine capable of identifying and tracking land, sea and air threats.
...
In 1997, Vietnam acquired two Yugo-class midget submarines from North Korea which it subsequently refitted.12 Under the terms of the March 2000 DCA between India and Vietnam, the Indian Navy agreed to provide training to Vietnamese naval personnel including submariners. In October 2002, Vietnam officially asked India to provide submarine training.
...
Sometime, presumably in the 1980s, Vietnam took possession of a small quantity of Russian-manufactured SS-1 Scud B surface-to-surface missiles (with a range of 300 km range with a payload of 985 kg payload).
...
In December 1996, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Defense, General Nguyen Thoi Bung, visited North Korea and signed a defense deal worth U.S. $100 million. Payment was in barter terms for Vietnamese rice. The sale of short-range Scud ballistic missiles was reportedly discussed at this time. In April 1999 it was reported that Vietnam had acquired a quantity of North Korean Scud C surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs). The Scud C can carry a payload of 770 kg 550 km. In February 2009 it was reported that Hanoi and Pyongyang were currently discussing North Korean assistance in upgrading Vietnam’s stock of Scud SSMs’.19
...
Vietnam has long-standing arrangements with the Czech Republic to manufacture Grad multiple tube-launched rockets.
...
In February 2002, the Russian defence enterprise LOMO announced that it was negotiating a contract with Vietnam to assist in the transfer of technology so Vietnam could produce the Igla low altitude surface-to-air missile (SA-18 Grouse).
...
In November 2006, it was reported that Russia and Vietnam were drawing up an agreement on technical assistance in the production of Yakhont ship-to-ship missiles.

[xinhui]

thanks for that.

[hanswu25]

Impressive T-55 Mod, sporting a 125mm gun

Closer look shows 105mm-L7. Same on Slovenian M55-S1. Name of Vietnam's T-55 Mod is T-55M3.

[hanswu25]

.................................................. .....

[hanswu25]

Vietnam to launch second satellite, Vinasat-2, in 2012

Vietnam to launch second satellite, Vinasat-2 - Vietnam Business Finance

Domestic launch is an option. It would depend on result of on-going ballistic missile program. Rumour says a medium range ballistic missile with the range 1500-2000km will be tested soon.

VNBusinessNews.com - Vietnam has confirmed it will launch its second telecommunications satellite at a cost of $350 million in 2012. The state-owned Vietnam Post and Telecommunications agency is to invest the money in Vinasat-2.

VPNT said it remains undecided on whether to embark on a domestic launch or outsource the process as it did for the country's first satellite in April 2008.

Vinasat-1 cost around $300 million, was designed and built by Lockheed Martin and successfully launched from Kourou, French Guiana. An Ariane 5-ECA rocket provided by Arianespace of Evry, France, put the satellite into orbit, confirmed by Lockheed Martin's satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.

VNPT said it is talking with other companies about launching Vinasat-2. It also believes that the infrastructure needed to track the satellite, such as a control station and surveillance equipment, is expected to be less costly than for the current satellite.

Vinasat-1 is based on Lockheed Martin's A2100A spacecraft platform and features 12 operating Ku Band transponders providing coverage over Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and part of Myanmar, formerly called Burma. It also has 8 C-Band primary transponders for wider coverage taking in India, Japan and Australia, according to a release from Lockheed Martin at the time of the launch.

Vinasat-1 has a life expectancy of around 15 years and is currently working at 70 percent of its capacity, VNPT noted. It is expected to work at 100 percent capacity in 2010 and regain investment within nine years, an admittedly ambitious target.

Vinasat-1 with its capacity of around 10,000 voice/Internet/data transmission channels, or 120 TV channels, enables Vietnam to bring telecommunications, Internet and TV services to distant and mountainous areas as well as islands that remain outside the reach of land-based communications facilities. In particular Vinasat-1 benefits fishermen and marine industries, and monitors natural disaster prevention and relief, the VPT said.

Vinasat-1 is also saving Vietnam, meaning VNPT, around $15 million a year by not having to rent space and time on foreign-owned satellites. As well, its capacity can be sold to the region's other telecommunications businesses.

Vietnam has been planning a second telecommunications satellite since only a few months after the launch of the first, according to satellite news Web site Satellite Today.

"Our satellite has the coverage not only for Vietnam but for other countries in the region. I think the demand for capacity on satellite is very high, and it will soon fill up," Lam Hoang Vinh, vice president of VNPT, said in an interview with Satellite Today Web site in June 2008.

"The demand for satellite capacity is high due to Internet development as well as access to media services. We are preparing to plan for the Vinasat-2 satellite. After 2010, we will need another satellite with more capacity."

[Skywatcher]

I wonder what Vietnam's neighbors would make of a Vietnamese IRBM? So far nobody seems to care.

[hanswu25]

What could they say about thing which does not exist yet?
If Vietnam could really effort a test launch, Thailand would jump up first (some of them still remember the nightmare of 80s), while other ASEAN members would quietly clap their hands. About China, they will not be afraid of anything Vietnam has. Probably they would say "one should think about peace.. blah.. blah..".

[Skywatcher]

What could they say about thing which does not exist yet?
If Vietnam could really effort a test launch, Thailand would jump up first (some of them still remember the nightmare of 80s), while other ASEAN members would quietly clap their hands. About China, they will not be afraid of anything Vietnam has. Probably they would say "one should think about peace.. blah.. blah..".

I don't think the Singaporeans would particularly care for the proliferation of MRBMs and IRBMs into SE Asia. After, any IRBM with a decent CEP aimed at Singapore would be guaranteed to do damage.