
After extraordinary growth in military hardware, Vietnam is consolidating its new gains.
By Zachary Abuza and Nguyen Nhat Anh
The Diplomat – October 28, 2016
In the past 10 years, there has been a fundamental shift in the capabilities of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), which for the first time has the ability to project power and defend maritime interests. No country in Southeast Asia has put more military hardware online in the same period of time as Vietnam. This military modernization has been driven almost exclusively by the threat posed by China over territory in the contested South China Sea.