【Text by Observer Net, Liu Bai】With the visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to South Korea for the first time in 11 years, military cooperation between South Korea and Vietnam has been further intensified.

According to Yonhap News on August 14, the Korean and Vietnamese governments signed a contract last month for the export of 20 K-9 self-propelled howitzers produced in South Korea to Vietnam, with a contract value of 250 million USD. On the 12th, the defense ministers of both countries also signed an agreement in Seoul to officially transfer the retired light frigate "Chinhae" to Vietnam.

This transaction will be the first export of the K-9 howitzer to the Southeast Asian market. So far, the K-9 has been exported to Turkey, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Norway, Egypt, India, Australia, and Romania. South Korea had previously provided Vietnam with retired patrol ships free of charge, but had never exported weapons before.

During the meeting at the Ministry of Defense building in Seoul on the 12th, South Korean Defense Minister An Gwi-bok and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang discussed ways to strengthen defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries and signed an agreement to transfer the PCC-776 "Chinhae" light frigate.

This is the third ship of the same class that South Korea has gifted to Vietnam, following those in 2017 and 2018.

PCC-776 "Chinhae" light frigate

The two sides also agreed to promote the early revision of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, expand the scope of cooperation between the ministries of defense and the armed forces, and strive to ensure the continuity of the results of defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

Observer Net's military commentator Shi Yang pointed out that in recent years, South Korea has actively promoted the export of its weapons globally and developed military trade and military cooperation with multiple countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. As a high-value-for-money artillery system in the international arms market, the K-9 has already received orders from several NATO countries and countries such as India and Egypt. The successful export of the K-9 to Vietnam will serve as a key benchmark for South Korea to further develop the Southeast Asian military market.

At the same time, the Vietnamese Navy has already received two Pohang-class frigates from South Korea, and countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia have also received or are about to receive multiple similar ships. Although this ship is a retired model from South Korea, its performance is limited and the condition is average, but due to its extremely low cost, it is still popular among relevant countries.

Although South Korea cannot directly benefit from these transactions, cultivating the habit of using South Korean ships among relevant countries can lay the groundwork for future exports of South Korean ships to those countries.

K-9 self-propelled howitzers used by the South Korean military

Focusing on technology, infrastructure, energy, and shipbuilding industries

Invited by President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Su Lin, led a delegation to make a state visit to South Korea from August 10 to 13.

As the leader of the "four horses", the last visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to South Korea dates back to 2014. Su Lin became the first foreign leader received by Yoon Suk-yeol after his inauguration.

According to statistics from the Korea Trade Association, Vietnam has become the third largest trading partner of South Korea after the United States and China for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the office of the president of South Korea, Kang Yu-jin, introduced that the two leaders exchanged opinions on various topics including politics, security, trade and investment, nuclear power, high-speed rail, smart city construction, and talent cultivation.

During the meeting, the two heads of state announced plans to increase bilateral trade volume from approximately 86.8 billion USD in 2024 to 150 billion USD by 2030, and signed several key agreements in important fields.

The office of Yoon Suk-yeol revealed that the two countries reached 10 memorandums of understanding, covering cooperation in the fields of nuclear energy and renewable energy, financial policy, and technological innovation.

Su Lin meets with Yoon Suk-yeol, Korean media

According to the website of the Vietnamese government, on August 11, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien held a working session with South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-wan, discussing cooperation matters involving trade, energy, logistics, and shipbuilding.

In the field of industry, in the shipbuilding industry, the two sides support each other in supply and training of high-quality human resources; both countries continue to assist enterprises in necessary mineral supply chain technology cooperation, aiming to ensure stable and sustainable resource supply for emerging industries such as battery manufacturing, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and high-tech.

Regarding energy, Nguyen Hong Dien suggested that South Korean companies continue to cooperate and invest in the development of hydrogen energy, nuclear energy, and other renewable and new energy sectors.

Regarding nuclear energy cooperation, Kim Jeong-wan reiterated that South Korea has the experience and conditions in three key factors—technology, funding, and human resources training—to cooperate with Vietnam. He emphasized that South Korea is willing to successfully develop nuclear energy with Vietnamese counterparts.

The Korean Herald noted that another project of great interest to South Korean companies is a 65.3 billion USD project to build a 1,500 km high-speed railway connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which would reduce travel time between the two cities from the current 30 hours to 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Ainvest.com, an American investment website, published an article stating that the high-level meeting between Su Lin and Yoon Suk-yeol marks a key turning point in bilateral relations, indicating strategic investments in infrastructure and energy between the two countries against the backdrop of geopolitical unrest and trade uncertainties caused by U.S. policies.

"Unveiling the beginning of the ASEAN policy of the Yoon Suk-yeol government"

Hong Kong English media South China Morning Post analyzed on the 13th that Su Lin's invitation to visit South Korea initially showed the direction of the Yoon Suk-yeol government's new foreign policy towards Southeast Asia. In the context of Sino-U.S. competition and economic turbulence caused by Trump's trade policies, the two countries are striving to find solutions.

Lee Jae-hyun, a senior researcher at the峨山 Policy Institute in Seoul, said that this visit unveiled the beginning of the "ASEAN policy of the Yoon Suk-yeol government."

The previous Trump administration announced a 15% tariff on South Korean goods and a 20% tariff on Vietnamese goods.

"The key to the strategic cooperation between the two countries lies in how they deal with great power competition and the issue of the U.S. weakening its commitment to the region and increasing tariffs," he said. "Deepening defense cooperation is also planned."

In recent years, Vietnam has been reducing its reliance on Russian weapons and increasingly purchasing military equipment from Israel, South Korea, and the United States.

Vietnamese Air Force's Russian-made Su-30MKV fighter jets

Huynh Tam Sang, a lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, believes that the two countries may explore deeper military ties and expand arms sales, especially as Vietnam seeks to diversify its defense suppliers.

He added that in the face of escalating geopolitical uncertainty, Vietnam is eager to "strengthen defense industry cooperation with like-minded partners." However, he warned that such efforts need to be carefully balanced, as the new South Korean government has no intention of angering China, while Vietnam remains cautious about any actions that could harm relations with China.

Regarding the cooperation on the K-9 self-propelled howitzer, Carlyle Thayer, an expert on Southeast Asian issues at the University of New South Wales in Australia, stated that the technology transfer agreement for the K-9 howitzer and related equipment is still pending determination.

Thayer said that the role of technology in the bilateral partnership is becoming increasingly prominent. "The joint statement mentioned that South Korea and Vietnam will expand cooperation in areas such as maritime security and training, mine clearance operations, United Nations peacekeeping, and information exchange on strategic issues of mutual concern."

The South China Morning Post stated that it is certain that this week's summit between the heads of state of Vietnam and South Korea laid the foundation for a deeper and more resilient partnership between the two countries. This move will attract close attention from countries in Asia and beyond.

This article is an exclusive work of Observer Net, and without authorization, it shall not be reprinted.

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