Vietnam is reportedly planning to purchase BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles from India, with a potential contract value of up to $700 million.
While specific details about the prospective order remain scarce, the fact that Vietnam chose the Indian-made BrahMos system over russia’s P-800 Oniks, the original version of the missile, is particularly noteworthy.
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According to India Today, Vietnam is interested in acquiring the same type of BrahMos coastal defense systems that India previously supplied to the Philippines. The deal would provide Hanoi with powerful tools to bolster its maritime defenses, particularly in light of tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Even though the precise configuration of Vietnam’s order remains unknown, the bigger picture is clear: the Vietnamese military, which already operates russian-made Bastion-P coastal missile systems armed with P-800 Oniks, is now opting to purchase similar systems from India rather than russia.
As of now, Vietnam maintains four coastal defense missile brigades equipped with Rubezh systems (armed with P-15 Termit missiles) and Bastion systems (armed with P-800 Oniks). The fact that the country still retains aging WWII-era self-propelled SU-100 guns may point to capability gaps in its ground forces. However, the decision to procure BrahMos missiles reflects an effort to modernize and reinforce the country’s maritime deterrent.
This move also underscores a broader shift: Vietnam, once a loyal customer of russian defense exports, is increasingly reluctant to rely on russian weaponry, opting instead for systems produced by a country that now co-develops missile technologies originally rooted in Soviet designs.
Read more: South Korea Once Created a Copy of russia’s P-800 Oniks Missile: What We Know Now
