Vietnam Military 2022, CIA World Factbook

People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; aka Vietnam People's Army, VPA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Force and Air Defense, Border Defense Force, and Vietnam Coast Guard; Vietnam People's Public Security Ministry; Vietnam Civil Defense Force (2022)

note 1: the Public Security Ministry is responsible for internal security and controls the national police, a special national security investigative agency, and other internal security units, including specialized riot police regiments

note 2: the Vietnam Coast Guard was established in 1998 as the Vietnam Marine Police and renamed in 2013; Vietnam officially established a maritime self-defense force (civilian militia) in 2010 after the National Assembly passed the Law on Militia and Self-Defense Forces in 2009; the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance (VFRS), established in 2013, is responsible for patrolling, monitoring for fishing violations, and carrying out fishery inspections; it is armed, allowed to use force if necessary, and works in tandem with the Vietnam Coast Guard

Military expenditures

2.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

2.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

2.3% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $11.2 billion)

2.3% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $10.5 billion)

2.3% of GDP (2017 est.) (approximately $9.85 billion)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information is limited and varied; estimated 470,000 active duty troops (400,000 ground; 40,000 naval; 30,000 air); estimated 40,000 Border Defense Force and Coast Guard (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the PAVN is armed largely with weapons and equipment from Russia and the former Soviet Union; since 2010, Russia has remained the main supplier of newer PAVN military equipment, although in recent years Vietnam has purchased arms from more than a dozen other countries including Belarus, Israel, South Korea, Ukraine, and the US; Vietnam has a limited defense industry (2021)

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service for men and women (in practice only men are drafted); service obligation is between 24 (Army, Air Defense) and 36 (Navy and Air Force) months (2022)

Military - note

the PAVN is the military arm of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and responsible to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest party organ on military policy; the CMC is led by the CPV General Secretary

Vietnam has a security policy of non-alignment, commonly referred to as the 'three no's: no military alliances, no foreign bases or usage of the territory for military activities, and no siding with one country against another; however, in 2019, Vietnam noted that it would consider developing appropriate defense and security relations with other countries depending on circumstances (2022)

Maritime threats

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; the number of reported incidents decreased from four in 2020 to one in 2021

NOTE: The information regarding Vietnam on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Vietnam 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Vietnam 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.