Where is the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026 taking place?

The expo is scheduled to be held in Hanoi, VNM.

What is the primary purpose of the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026?

The expo aims to showcase advancements in defense technology and foster international cooperation in the defense sector, taking place in Hanoi.

When does the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026 conclude?

The expo concludes on December 13, 2026, in Hanoi, VNM.

Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026

Name: Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026
Start: 2026-12-10T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-12-13T00:00:00Z
Location: Hanoi

Dec 10–13, 2026Hanoi, VietnamIn-person

Registration open

The Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026, held in Hanoi, VNM, is a key event for understanding the evolving defense landscape in Southeast Asia. It serves as a platform for international defense collaboration and showcases advancements in military technology. This expo highlights VNM's growing role in regional security discussions and its strategic approach to defense modernization.

Committees & topics

Topics
International Defence Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific · Modernization of National Defence Capabilities · Building a Self-Reliant Defence Industry · Emerging Military Technologies · National Security in a Contested Maritime Environment · Defence Diplomacy and Strategic Hedging

Why it matters

This event is significant because it underscores VNM's strategic positioning in the global defense industry. By hosting an international defense expo, VNM signals its intent to engage with global partners and potentially diversify its defense procurement and production capabilities. This engagement can have broader implications for regional power dynamics and security alliances, particularly given VNM's geopolitical importance.

The expo provides a unique opportunity for various nations to showcase their defense technologies and engage in discussions on security challenges. It reflects a trend where countries are increasingly looking to strengthen their defense sectors through international partnerships and technological exchange. For VNM, this event is not just about acquiring new technologies but also about fostering domestic defense industrial capacity and expertise.

How to prepare

To effectively analyze the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026, it is essential to conduct thorough stakeholder mapping, as outlined in the Model Diplomat lesson on "What Is Stakeholder Mapping?" and the "Stakeholder Mapping Workshop." This involves identifying all relevant actors, including exhibiting defense companies, government delegations, and potential buyers, to understand their interests and influence. Understanding these "Hidden Stakeholders" is crucial for a comprehensive assessment of the event's outcomes.

Furthermore, applying "Dynamic Analysis" will be vital to track emerging trends in defense technology and strategic partnerships that may form or be strengthened at the expo. Analyzing the types of defense equipment showcased and the nature of bilateral or multilateral discussions can provide insights into future defense cooperation and VNM's strategic priorities. Consider how different nations might leverage this platform for "Engagement Strategies" to advance their defense and foreign policy objectives.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Vietnam

VNM is actively seeking to modernize its defense capabilities and diversify its international defense partnerships.

Role in topic

As the host nation, VNM is using the expo to showcase its commitment to defense modernization, attract foreign investment in its defense industry, and strengthen its strategic autonomy in security matters. The event in Hanoi provides a platform for VNM to engage with a broad spectrum of international defense suppliers and partners.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

International Defence Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

International defence cooperation has expanded significantly in the Indo-Pacific over the past decade in response to maritime disputes in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Korean Peninsula. Mechanisms such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), the Quad, AUKUS, and an expanding network of bilateral strategic partnerships have reshaped how states pool intelligence, conduct joint exercises, and coordinate procurement. Vietnam, while maintaining its 'Four No's' defence policy (no alliances, no foreign bases, no siding against a third party, no use of force), has steadily deepened practical cooperation with partners including the United States, Russia, India, Japan, and the European Union. The central tension lies between deterrence-focused alignments and ASEAN's preference for inclusive, consensus-based security architecture. Defence cooperation today encompasses not only traditional areas such as port visits and officer exchanges, but also humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), peacekeeping, cybersecurity, and maritime domain awareness. Sanctions regimes — particularly CAATSA in the United States — have complicated procurement decisions for states traditionally reliant on Russian equipment. For Vietnam and similar middle powers, the issue is how to diversify partnerships and interoperability while preserving strategic autonomy. Forums such as the Vietnam International Defence Expo serve as platforms to operationalize this hedging strategy through transparent engagement with multiple suppliers and partners.

Key players

Modernization of National Defence Capabilities

Defence capability modernization has accelerated worldwide since 2014, driven by Russia's actions in Ukraine, intensifying U.S.–China competition, and the diffusion of advanced technologies. Global military expenditure surpassed USD 2.4 trillion in 2023 (SIPRI), with the steepest growth in Europe and Asia. Modernization priorities have shifted from platform quantity toward networked sensors, precision strike, integrated air and missile defence, and survivable command-and-control. The war in Ukraine has, in particular, demonstrated the battlefield impact of drones, electronic warfare, and commercial space-based ISR. For Vietnam, capability development has historically centred on the People's Army of Vietnam's transition toward a 'revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modernized' force, with selected services — navy, air force, signals, electronic warfare, and cyber — designated for accelerated modernization. The legacy reliance on Soviet- and Russian-origin systems (Su-30MK2, Kilo-class submarines, S-300, Bastion-P) is increasingly supplemented by Israeli, Indian, South Korean, and Western systems. The core dispute is how states balance affordability, technological sovereignty, and interoperability. Smaller and middle powers face hard choices about whether to invest in a few high-end exquisite platforms or in larger numbers of attritable, software-defined systems — a debate sharpened by lessons from contemporary conflicts.

Key players

Building a Self-Reliant Defence Industry

The development of indigenous defence industries has become a strategic priority for states seeking to reduce supply-chain dependencies exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Western sanctions on Russia, and U.S.–China decoupling. Major arms exporters — the United States, France, Russia, China, Germany, and Italy — collectively account for the bulk of global transfers (SIPRI), but importers including India, Türkiye, South Korea, and increasingly Vietnam are investing heavily in domestic production, offsets, and technology transfer. Vietnam's defence-industrial base is consolidated under the General Department of Defence Industry and large state enterprises such as Viettel, Z111, and Z125. Areas of demonstrated indigenous capability include small arms, ammunition, light naval craft, UAVs, military communications, and increasingly radar and electronic warfare systems developed by Viettel High Technology. Export ambitions remain modest but growing, with the Vietnam International Defence Expo serving as a showcase for domestic primes. The central policy issues are technology transfer terms, offset enforcement, dual-use export controls, and the financing of long-cycle R&D. States must also navigate end-use restrictions imposed by suppliers and reconcile commercial competitiveness with strategic confidentiality.

Key players

Emerging Military Technologies

Emerging military technologies — artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, hypersonics, quantum sensing, directed energy, and military applications of space and cyber — are reshaping deterrence and warfighting. The war in Ukraine has accelerated the operational adoption of FPV drones, loitering munitions, AI-enabled targeting, and Starlink-style commercial connectivity. The U.S. Department of Defense's Replicator initiative, China's intelligentized warfare doctrine, and Russia's tactical adaptations all reflect this shift. Multilateral governance has lagged. The UN Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems has yet to produce a binding instrument, and the 2023 REAIM summit in The Hague, followed by Seoul in 2024, produced only non-binding political declarations. PAROS negotiations on outer space remain stalled, and norms for state behaviour in cyberspace are advancing slowly through the UN OEWG on ICTs. The core dispute is whether to constrain these technologies through arms-control regimes — risking unilateral disadvantage — or to allow rapid, competitive development. For middle powers, the issue is how to selectively absorb relevant technologies (especially UAVs, EW, and cyber) without becoming dependent on any single supplier ecosystem.

Key players

National Security in a Contested Maritime Environment

National security frameworks in Southeast Asia are increasingly shaped by maritime disputes, transnational threats, and cyber vulnerabilities. The South China Sea remains the most consequential flashpoint: China's nine-dash line claim was rejected by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling under UNCLOS, but Beijing has continued island-building, coast guard incursions, and harassment of fisheries and energy operations. Incidents involving Vietnamese, Filipino, Indonesian, and Malaysian vessels have grown more frequent. Beyond maritime threats, national security agendas now incorporate cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, disinformation, energy and food security, and climate-driven displacement. Vietnam's 2019 Defence White Paper articulated an 'all-people national defence' concept, integrating economic, diplomatic, and military instruments, and explicitly left open the possibility of deeper alignments 'depending on circumstances.' The central debate is how to defend sovereignty without triggering escalation, and how to operationalize gray-zone deterrence — through coast guard modernization, maritime militia management, satellite surveillance, and legal warfare under UNCLOS. ASEAN-China Code of Conduct negotiations, ongoing since 2002, remain unresolved.

Key players

Defence Diplomacy and Strategic Hedging

Defence diplomacy — the non-coercive use of military assets and relationships to advance foreign-policy objectives — has expanded well beyond traditional attaché networks and port calls. It now includes joint exercises, defence dialogues, peacekeeping contributions, HADR missions, education and training exchanges, and high-visibility events such as defence expos. For non-aligned and hedging states, defence diplomacy offers a means of building deterrence-by-relationship without entering binding alliances. Vietnam has been particularly active: it elevated relations with the United States, Japan, Australia, and South Korea to Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships between 2022 and 2024, while maintaining its long-standing partnership with Russia and a 'cold peace' with China managed through Party-to-Party and military channels. Vietnamese deployments to UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and the Central African Republic have added a multilateral dimension. The Vietnam International Defence Expo, first held in 2022, has become a flagship instrument of this diplomacy. The core question is how defence diplomacy can deliver real deterrence and interoperability gains without provoking adversaries or compromising strategic autonomy. Related issues include transparency in arms acquisitions, confidence-building measures, military hotlines, and crisis-communication protocols in contested waters.

Key players