In April 2023, a Vietnamese delegation visited the Hanwha Aerospace facilities in Hanoi to inspect the K9 howitzer, signaling Vietnam’s need for 108 units of this 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. On April 23, 2024, the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense intended to purchase the K9 self-propelled howitzer, developed and manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace of South Korea, for the People’s Army of Vietnam.
During the “11th Korea-Vietnam Defense Strategy Dialogue” held in Hanoi on April 23, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defense, Hoang Xuan Chien, announced the acquisition plan for the K9, according to a press release issued the following day by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).
Additionally, both parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields such as maritime security, cybersecurity, and logistics, the MND added. To deepen cooperation in defense and the defense industry, the two nations agreed to add new areas of collaboration discussed in the bilateral defense cooperation agreement signed in 2010, according to the MND.
Vietnam is looking to acquire new artillery to replace its aging arsenal, including the M114 155 mm howitzers and M101 105 mm howitzers, with a reported plan to acquire 108 units of 155 mm howitzers.