Vietnam begins building largest domestic anti-submarine frigate
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- Vietnam began construction on its largest and most advanced domestically-made anti-submarine frigate at the defence ministry's Song Thu Shipyard in Danang City, the military-run Quan Doi Nhan Dan newspaper reported on Aug 11.
- Song Thu Shipyard will build the vessel with most of its weapons and military equipment developed or assembled domestically, according to the defence ministry newspaper.
- Viettel, a military-run telecoms and technology group, along with other defence research units, will work closely with the navy and Song Thu on weapons development and installation.
- Vietnam's navy has previously acquired Russian-built Kilo-class submarines and Gepard-class frigates, but is increasingly turning to domestically-built missile boats and patrol vessels as part of a multi-decade modernisation drive.
- The project aligns with government policy of developing a defence industry that is "autonomous, self-reliant, self-strengthening, dual-use and modern."
- Vietnam will host the third edition of the biennial Vietnam International Defence Expo in Hanoi in December to boost domestic defence production and diversify military equipment sources.
Why it matters: Vietnam's long-running maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea make indigenous anti-submarine capacity strategically valuable, and reducing reliance on Russian hardware insulates Hanoi from Moscow's supply constraints. The Viettel-backed build signals concrete movement from policy statement to shipyard output on the "autonomous, self-reliant" defence industry line.
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