All articles - Vietnam

Vietnamese coast guard anti-corruption trial jeopardises Western defence deals

Five Vietnamese senior coast guard service officers are currently being tried for corruption, while the Communist Party and defence ministry are taking back control of the service's procurement.

Vietnamese air force sounds out French firms on training cooperation at Paris Air Show

The Vietnamese air force, which has traditionally turned to Russia for its hardware and pilot training needs, is looking for new international partners, particularly for cooperation on training. This was the guiding principle for the visit made to the Paris Air Show by its deputy commander.

Spotlight
Round two in Leonardo-Thales tussle over Hanoi radar contract

The Star NG civil radar contract has been called off in Vietnam, but Thales and Leonardo are still firing shots at each other. Aside from Leonardo's protests over the procedure, the contract suspension can be linked to in-fighting within the Vietnamese administration and to Thales' local partner

Thales and Leonardo fight for influence in Hanoi

Defence giant Thales suspects competitor Leonardo of derailing a major contract the group had secured in Vietnam. At the heart of the conflict lies a French hotel developer who was operating covertly for the Italian rival.

The Agencies' Gazette
Vietnam's MPS, Qassem Al Araji in Tehran, France's new South East Asia diplomat, FSB

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every week, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community from Hanoi to Paris, via Tehran and Moscow.

VietnamTo Lam wants to further condense public security hierarchy

Iraq/IranQassem Al Araji defuses Sulaymaniyah security issues before return to Tehran

France/Vietnam/RomaniaOlivier Brochet tipped to succeed ambassador Warnery in Hanoi

RussiaFSB's new technical director settles in

Hanoi's highly political investigation spills over into Geneva

Switzerland has found itself at the heart of a power-struggle at the highest echelons of the Vietnamese government, which is playing out in the Swiss capital and other European countries.

ASIADEV guides French firms in Vietnam

Consultancy firm ASIADEV uses its broad Franco-Vietnamese network to steer French companies wanting to do business in Vietnam, especially in the defence industry, in which Hanoi has been investing significantly in recent years.

Russia lobbying hard for its Mir payment system, from Moscow to Hanoi

Moscow is ramping up efforts to convince Vietnam to adopt the Mir payment system, citing the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Bank as an early adopter. Russia's objective is to guarantee its hydrocarbon contracts are paid, but Hanoi, currently rethinking its geopolitical position, is being cautious.

Convicted Vietnamese defence agent Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan's French connections

Wanted on corruption charges, the former CEO of AIC Group, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, who served as a go-between for Western defence companies in Vietnam, is now on the run in China. Before that, she built an extensive network of contacts in France's political and defence circles.

Leonardo, Bell and Russian influence fail to deter Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters is not letting competition from Leonardo and Bell discourage it from the Vietnamese market. But despite having long-standing relations with potential clients in the country, including the Minister of Public Security, a tug-of-war between pro-Russian and pro-West factions of the Minister of Defence is taking a toll on those ambitions.

Wanted businesswoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan makes it to China

With the Vietnamese authorities hot on her heels, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, the businesswoman who helped IAI, Verint and other defence groups enter the Vietnamese market, has gone into hiding. Retracing her footsteps, Intelligence Online has found information to suggest she is now in China.

Bell flies full speed ahead on helicopter sales in Vietnam

US manufacturer Bell was part of a large business delegation that travelled to Hanoi in March. It hopes to sell helicopters to the Ministry of Public Safety in Hanoi. For the first time since the two countries were at war, Vietnamese helicopter pilots are being trained on US soil.

Spotlight
Leonardo pounces on potential Vietnamese helicopter deal after Moscow loses exclusivity

The war in Ukraine is forcing Vietnam into having to acquire a new fleet of civil and military helicopters over the next few years due to problems with the maintenance and update of its Russian-made aircraft.

Vietnam baulks at Airbus's observation satellite proposal

While the French embassy in Vietnam is still hoping that Airbus might land an earth observation satellite order, the Vietnamese government appears unready to commit, marking what could be the end of this central project in the two countries' bilateral defence cooperation and a blow to French chances of further defence contracts in Vietnam.

Ministry of Public Security's latest drive for power lies behind political crisis

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's forced resignation on 17 January following a secret meeting of the Communist Party of Vietnam's politburo comes amid a Covid-19 test kit scandal. The Ministry of Public Security, which prompted his departure, has been pushing for influence at every level of government.