Vietnam People's Army

The Vietnam People's Army - VPA (Quân Đội Nhân Dân Việt Nam in Vietnamese), is the military section of the Vietnamese armed forces, which also consists of Vietnam People's Public Security and Vietnam Civil Defense Force. It has many historical victories over a number of great powers, including France (1945-1954), the United States (1955-1975), and China (1979). It also fought against the neighboring countries of Laos in 1958-1959, Cambodia in 1977-1989 and Thailand in 1987-1988. The VPA has never lost a war, and could therefore be considered one of the world's strongest military powers, although most of their equipment is outdated.

Total strength of the VPA
Military age: 18-25 years old.

Conscription: 18 months, none enforced.

Available for military service: 42,683,626 males and females age 15-19.

Fit for military service: 32,064,716 males and females age 15-49.

Reaching military age annually: 915,572.

Active personnel: 455,000 (ranked 11th).

Reserve personnel: 5,000,000.

Paramilitary: 40,000.

Total personnel: 5,495,000 (ranked 3rd).

Budget: US$ 2,4 billion (ranked 52nd)

Percent of GDP: 2.5%.

Vietnam People's Ground Forces
Size: 383,000.

APCs: 2,485.

IFVs: 1,200.

Tanks: 3,157+.

Artillery pieces: 6,578+.

The VPA has 2,485 APCs, 1,200 IFVs, 3,157+ tanks, and 6,578+ artillery pieces.

Small arms

 * APS pistols
 * CZ 52 pistol
 * PMM pistols
 * TT-33 pistols
 * Type 54 pistols
 * MicroUzi submachine guns
 * MiniUzi submachine guns
 * MP5A4 submachine guns
 * PM-63 RAK submachine guns
 * PP-19 Bizon submachine guns
 * Uzi submachine guns
 * AK-47 assault rifles
 * AK-74 assault rifles
 * AKM assault rifles
 * AKS-74U carbine
 * AMD 65 assault rifle
 * IMI Galil assault rifle
 * M14 battle rifle
 * M16 assault rifles
 * M16A1 assault rifles
 * SKS-45 carbines
 * Type 56 assault rifles
 * RPD-44 light machine guns
 * RPK light machine guns
 * M60 general-purpose machine guns
 * PKM general-purpose machine guns
 * M1919 medium machine guns
 * DShK-38/DShKM heavy machine guns
 * M2HB heavy machine guns
 * NSV heavy machine guns
 * GALATZ sniper rifles
 * SVD sniper rifles
 * SVU sniper rifles
 * GP-25 grenade launchers
 * M-79 grenade launchers
 * MGL Mk-1 grenade launchers
 * AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers
 * M-72 light anti-tank weapon
 * RPG-2 rocket propelled grenade system
 * RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade system
 * RPG-29 rocket propelled grenade system
 * Type 69 RPG rocket propelled grenade system
 * 9K32 Strela 2 man-portable surface-to-air missile launchers (30, with 200 missiles)
 * 9K38 Igla man-portable surface-to-air missile launchers (20, with 200 missiles)

APC/IFV

 * BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle (600)
 * BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle (600)
 * BRDM-1 reconnaissance vehicle (120)
 * BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicle (480)
 * BTR-50 tracked armoured personnel carrier (750)
 * BTR-60 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (450)
 * BTR-70 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (150)
 * BTR-80 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (10-15?)
 * IAI RAM-2000 armored mine protected vehcile (150)
 * M-113 armoured personnel carrier (245)
 * V-150 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (125)

Tanks

 * M-41 light tank (90+)
 * PT-76 light tank (300)
 * PT-85 light tank (45)
 * Type 62 light tank (180)
 * Type 63 amphibious light tank (320)
 * M48 Patton medium tank (40+)
 * T-54/55 main battle tank (990)
 * T-62 main battle tank (220)
 * T-72M1 main battle tank (480)
 * Type 59 main battle tank (360)
 * SU-100 tank destroyer (132)

Artillery and mortars

 * B-10 recoilless gun (700)
 * B-11 recoilless gun (900)
 * M40 recoilless gun (?)
 * SPG-9 recoilless gun (900)
 * 82-PM-41 infantry mortar
 * M1938 infantry mortar
 * M-46 field gun (480)
 * D-20 howitzer gun (720)
 * D-30 howitzer gun (900)
 * M114 howitzer gun (?)
 * 2S1 self-propelled artillery gun (260)
 * 2S3 self-propelled artillery gun (240)
 * M-107 self-propelled artillery gun (?)
 * BM-13 multiple rocket launcher (160)
 * BM-14 multiple rocket launcher (372)
 * BM-21 multiple rocket launcher (732)
 * AZP S-60 anti-aircraft gun (100+)
 * ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (100)
 * 9K35 Strela-10 vehicle-mounted SAM system (12)
 * S-300 vehicle-mounted long-range SAM system (2)
 * SA-2 Guideline SAM system (280)
 * SA-3 Goa SAM system (72-96)
 * SS-1 Scud B/C/D tactical ballistic missile launcher (60-69)

Weapons and munitions

 * 9K11 anti-tank missiles
 * 9M113 anti-tank missiles
 * M14 land mines
 * MD-82 blast mines
 * MDH-C40 anti-personnel mines
 * SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missiles (1,000)
 * SA-3 Goa surface-to-air missiles (1,500)
 * SS-1 Scud B/C/D tactical ballistic missiles (2,000)

Vietnam People's Navy
Size: 42,000 officers and sailors.

Ships: 210?

Aircraft: 15. The VPN has an inventory of 10 frigates, 18 corvettes, 8 mine warfare craft, 101-113 patrol craft, 6 submarines, 27 auxiliary vessels and 26-28+ amphibious landing craft, giving it a total of 196-210+ naval vessels.

Frigates

 * Gepard 3.9 class frigates (4):
 * HQ-011 Dinh Tien Hoang
 * HQ-012 Ly Thai To
 * Petya class frigates (6):
 * HQ-09
 * HQ-11
 * HQ-13
 * HQ-15
 * HQ-17
 * HQ-15
 * HQ-17

Corvettes
Mine warfare craft
 * BPS-500 Pauk class corvette (1):
 * HQ-381
 * Molniya class corvettes (6):
 * HQ-336
 * HQ-362
 * HQ-366
 * HQ-375
 * HQ-376
 * HQ-389
 * Tarantul-I class corvettes (7):
 * HQ-371
 * HQ-372
 * HQ-373
 * HQ-374
 * HQ-377
 * HQ-378
 * HQ-381
 * Sigma class corvettes (4):
 * Sonya class minesweepers (4)
 * Yevgenya class minesweepers (2)
 * Yurka class minesweepers (2)

Patrol craft

 * HQ-37 class inshore patrol boats (4)
 * HQ-56 class inshore patrol boats (32)
 * MK II PBR riverine patrol craft (22)
 * Osa class missile boats (8):
 * HQ-353
 * HQ-354
 * HQ-355
 * HQ-356
 * HQ-358
 * HQ-359
 * HQ-360
 * HQ-361
 * PCF riverine patrol craft (6)
 * Shershen class torpedo boats (4-16):
 * HQ-305
 * HQ-306
 * HQ-311
 * HQ-312
 * HQ-358
 * HQ-5011
 * Svetlyak class patrol boats (4):
 * HQ-261
 * HQ-262
 * HQ-263
 * TT-400TP class gunboat (1):
 * HQ-272
 * Turya class torpedo boats (6):
 * HQ-307
 * HQ-331
 * HQ-332
 * HQ-333
 * HQ-334
 * HQ-335
 * Zhuk class inshore patrol boats (14)
 * Zhuk class inshore patrol boats (14)

Submarines

 * Improved Kilo class submarines (6)

Auxiliary vessels

 * Floating drydocks (2)
 * Harbour tubs (9)
 * HSV-6613 ocean surveillance ship (1):
 * Giao su Vien si Tran Dai Nghia
 * K-122 class transport/logistics support ship (1):
 * HQ-571
 * Nyrat-2 diving tenders (2)
 * Sorum class logistics tug (1)
 * Transport/logistics support ships (2):
 * HQ-936
 * HQ-996
 * Trường Sa class transport/logistics support ships (10):
 * Trường Sa 04
 * Trường Sa 08
 * Trường Sa 09
 * Trường Sa 10
 * Trường Sa 14
 * Trường Sa 20
 * Voda class auxiliary vessel (1)

Amphibious landing ships

 * Amphibious class amphibious warfare ships (10)
 * LCU landing ships (?)
 * LST landing ships (3)
 * Polnocny class landing ships (3)
 * T-4 class landing ships (10-12)

Vietnam People's Air Force
Size: 30,000.

Total aircraft: 946.

Note: Due to lack of international knowledge on the VPAF's inventory, some of the weapons listed may be retired from service.

Fighter aircraft

 * Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter (50)
 * Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 jet fighter (77)
 * Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 jet fighter (45)
 * Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 jet fighter (124)
 * Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter supersonic light fighter (8)
 * Northrop F-5E Tiger II supersonic light fighter (1)
 * Sukhoi Su-27 air superiority fighter (15 total):
 * Sukhoi Su-27SK (12)
 * Sukhoi Su-27UBK (3)
 * Sukhoi Su-30MK2V multirole fighter (44-72)

Attack aircraft

 * A-1 Skyraider light attack aircraft (21)
 * A-37 Dragonfly jet attack aircraft (95)
 * Sukhoi Su-7 fighter-bomber/ground attack aircraft (30)
 * Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bomber/ground attack aircraft (53)

Bomber aircraft

 * Ilyushin Il-28 medium bomber (16)

Attack helicopters

 * Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter (26)

Utility helicopters

 * CH-34 Choctaw helicopter (34)
 * UH-1 Iroquois utility helicopter (42-57)

Trainer aircraft

 * Aero Ae-45 trainer (3)
 * Aero L-29 Delfín jet trainer (12)
 * Aero L-39 Albatros supersonic jet trainer (23)
 * Northrop F-5B Freedom Fighter supersonic trainer (3)
 * T-28 Trojan trainer (14)
 * Yakovlev Yak-52 trainer (28)
 * Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced trainer (8)
 * Zlin Z-226 Trener basic trainer (8)

Transport aircraft

 * An-2 Colt light transport aircraft (8)
 * An-26 Curl transport aircraft (15)
 * Lisunov Li-2 transport aircraft (24)
 * PZL M28 Skytruck transport aircraft (1)

Transport helicopters

 * Aérospatiale Puma utility helicopter (9)
 * Aérospatiale Super Puma medium utility helicopter (7)
 * Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy transport helicopter (23)
 * Eurocopter Dauphin transport/utility helicopter (4)
 * Eurocopter Ecureuil light utility helicopter (2)
 * Kamov Ka-32S anti-submarine helicopter (1)
 * Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter (29)
 * Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter (28)
 * UH-1H Huey utility helicopter (15+)