South Korea tries to fill Vietnam's security void after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Vietnamese leader Vo Van Thuong during a joint press conference held on June 23 in Hanoi after their summit. Korea Times file

Vietnam's unique geopolitical landscape makes South Korea ideal defense partner, says expert

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Vietnam's diplomatic reputation has taken a hit, while the Southeast Asian country's weapons procurement channel was also disrupted due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

For decades, Russia has been Vietnam's longstanding defense partner and dominant supplier of weapons.

Wary of the possible fallout on its defense ties with Russia, Vietnam abstained from the U.N. General Assembly's vote in February to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine. Earlier, Vietnam also voted against kicking Russia off the U.N Human Rights Council.

With these moves in favor of embattled Russia, Vietnam risked its diplomatic reputation as it is now viewed as a country that turned a blind eye to the civilian casualties of the war.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, meanwhile, created a security void in Vietnam. Grappling with a shortage of ammunition due to the prolonged war, Russia is no longer able to be a key supplier of weapons to Vietnam.

The Vietnamese government is trying to deal with the situation by diversifying its defense partners amid fears that its territorial spat with Beijing in the South China Sea will intensify further due to China's maritime ambitions.

Among other countries, South Korea, Japan and Israel are emerging as some of the potential arms suppliers to Vietnam.

Nguyen Phuong

Nguyen Phuong, a defense analyst, said Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a game changer as Moscow's dominance of Vietnam's defense industry is about to come to an end.

“The war in Ukraine has fundamentally altered Vietnam's dependence on Russia to supply weapons and Vietnam is now actively seeking new and potential foreign partners to purchase weapons,” he told The Korea Times. “South Korea is one of them.”

Nguyen, who lectures on international relations at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance and is also a freelance writer contributing defense and military articles to international media outlets, is optimistic about defense ties between South Korea and Vietnam.

“South Korea has one of the most advanced, thriving and attractive defense industries in the world,” he said. “More importantly, South Korea is trying to actively promote that, while Vietnam is actively seeking a reliable partner. Therefore, if they cooperate, it will be a win-win cooperation for the two sides.”

Among other areas, he singled out shipbuilding, aerospace and cyber warfare as three promising areas of cooperation to help Vietnam beef up its military capabilities.

He said Vietnam wants not only to purchase weapons, but also to seek technology transfers and South Korea is willing to do that.

Vietnam is an emerging market for South Korea's defense industry following President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the country in June. During the June 23 summit in Hanoi, Yoon and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong agreed to strengthen cooperation in issues related to the South China Sea. The two countries also signed more than 10 memoranda of understanding in the field of security.

In an interview with a Vietnam's news agency, VAN, prior to his departure from Seoul for the summit, Yoon revealed his hopes of working together with Vietnam in the area of security and pitched South Korea's defense industry and technologies.

Over the past decades, Vietnam has sought to modernize its military as the country sparred with China over fisheries and oil and gas fields in the South China Sea. The two countries clashed following Chinese attacks on Vietnamese coast guards and fishing vessels.

Vietnam upgraded its naval force with ships, submarines and weapons imported from Russia. The Southeast Asian country armed its naval vessels with the supersonic Yakhon P-800 anti-ship missile and acquired six Russian-built submarines equipped with anti-ship cruise missiles in response to China's growing maritime threat.

Richard Bitzinger

Richard A. Bitzinger, an adjunct senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Vietnam took the so-called “anti-access/area denial” strategy from China's defense playbook to strengthen maritime defenses.

Under that strategy, Bitzinger said, “A country strives to fend off a military competitor, particularly a superior military force, by either preventing it from entering a zone of conflict or else seriously impeding its freedom of action inside the zone.”

Hanoi's version calls for preventing China from approaching or operating in Vietnam's territorial waters or maritime Exclusive Economic Zone and the airspace over it, including the Gulf of Tonkin, he said.

Despite its firm defense posture, China's threat is not something Vietnam alone can frustrate, due to the asymmetric military structures of the two countries.

Vietnam's tragic past of fighting against the U.S. during the Vietnam War and also its conflict with China in 1979 narrowed its diplomatic options. Experts say many Vietnamese people still harbor a deep-seated feeling of distrust toward the U.S. and China.

“I wouldn't expect the U.S. and Vietnam to grow closer as a result,” said Bitzinger. “Vietnam has received some excess defense articles from the U.S. but that is a long way from creating any type of alliance or strategic partnership. Vietnam is still trying to get along with China and its relationship with Russia is still very strong.”

South Korea's endeavor to strengthen defense ties with Vietnam could be a diplomatic stunt, considering Hanoi's ties with the autocratic countries.

Nguyen, however, said the two countries should be able to narrow their differences without difficulties.

Although the two countries are based on very different political systems ― Vietnam is a communist state with one political party, while South Korea is a pluralism-based democratic country ― he said South Korea's pragmatic approach will enable the two sides to move forward in their cooperation in the area of defense with more ease than other countries in the Western hemisphere.