According to the report from the defense website “1945”, after years of negotiations, Vietnam has reached an agreement with the United States to purchase F-16 fighter jets. If the deal is finalized, it is expected to become the largest defense cooperation between the US and Vietnam to date.
The report from “1945” cited industry insiders and a former US government official, stating that Vietnam is planning to purchase at least 24 F-16V single-engine fighters manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Reuters also reported on this news, stating that during former President Biden’s visit to Vietnam in 2023, the US and Vietnam upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership, leading to negotiations for Vietnam to purchase American fighter jets. In addition to the F-16 purchase, Vietnam is also discussing the possibility of acquiring C-130 transport planes from the US.
This news comes shortly after Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam, raising speculation about the timing. Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia starting on April 14 to rally Southeast Asian countries to counter the US tariff war. However, while these countries have benefited from Xi Jinping’s gestures, they have not joined him in challenging the US. Instead, they are actively engaging in negotiations with the US, aiming to reduce tariffs, while also cracking down on Chinese companies that export to the US by “washing” the origin of the products, demonstrating their willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration.
Vietnam’s Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft are inadequate and are being replaced and upgraded. One of the reasons for not considering Russian fighter jets is Vietnam’s increasing economic alignment with the US and Western countries, which naturally leads to a shift towards Western defense equipment procurement to diversify sources. Additionally, the Air Forces of neighboring countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia mainly rely on equipment from Western countries.
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