Abstract
As China’s military power continues to grow and poses a significant threat to the Indo-Pacific region, East Asian countries have begun competing to develop and modernize their military capabilities. In other words, they have entered into a fierce new arms race. Among them, due to China’s assertive stance and actions regarding sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, countries surrounding the South China Sea, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines—both of which have sovereignty and territorial disputes with China—have responded with more proactive defense and military measures.
This article primarily aims to organize and analyze recent developments vis-à-vis Vietnam’s military equipment, aiming to provide new insight into its military development and modernization. Furthermore, the paper also seeks to examine the future of Vietnam-China relations, the South China Sea conflict, and peace in the Indo-Pacific region. The article is structured as follows: First, it provides an overview of Vietnam’s military capabilities and discuss its military ranking in Asia and globally. Second, it explores Vietnam’s recent efforts to enhance its military equipment and bolster its national defense. Third, it analyzes the challenges and difficulties Vietnam may face in its process of military modernization. Fourth, it forecasts Vietnam’s future military development and its impact on security in the Indo-Pacific region. Finally, the article concludes that Vietnam’s military development is closely linked to China’s military rise and South China Sea sovereignty disputes. Consequently, the arms races and strategic, geopolitical, and power competition in the Indo-Pacific may intensify as a result of military confrontation. Vietnam’s overall military development is an extremely important element of Indo-Pacific security.
Keywords: Indo-Pacific, South China Sea, Vietnam, Military Development, Vietnam-China Relations