Vietnam and Japan are moving forward with plans to strengthen their defense ties as the former’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang, met with Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki, on Wednesday, to discuss how both countries can deepen their defense cooperation.
General Giang praised Japan’s support for Vietnam in areas like military training, defense technology, and helping Vietnam deal with the aftermath of past wars. He said he wants defense to become one of the main pillars of the overall relationship between the countries.
Ambassador Ito said Japan highly values its growing ties with Vietnam and hopes both sides will keep building on the progress made during Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s recent visit to Vietnam.
The two countries are working in several areas of defense including joint training programs, exchange of military officials, cooperation between their naval, air, and ground forces, cybersecurity, military medicine, and UN peacekeeping missions.
They signed a training cooperation agreement in December 2025 and are now focused on implementing it. Vietnam also invited Japan’s defense officials and companies to attend the third Vietnam International Defense Expo in Hanoi in December 2026.
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For most of its modern history, Vietnam depended heavily on Russia for its military equipment, including submarines and fighter jets. But in recent years, it has been actively diversifying where it gets its defense equipment and technology from.
Japan has become an important part of that shift. In 2021, both countries signed an agreement on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology, giving Japan a legal framework to export military equipment and technology to Vietnam. Both sides see this as a turning point in their defense relationship.
Since then, the relationship has grown steadily. Both sides have held regular defense policy talks, conducted consultations between their military branches, and expanded their training programs.
In December 2024, they held their first-ever Foreign and Defense Vice-Ministerial Consultation in Tokyo, and in June 2026, the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces paid an official visit to Hanoi, one of the highest-level defense exchanges between the countries yet.
For Vietnam, Japan is a dependable partner that can help modernize its military without it having to depend entirely on Russia or move too close to the United States.
