Surprisingly, the first modern submachine gun of the Vietnam People's Army was not of Soviet origin.
 |
| Normally, most of the modern weapons equipped for the Vietnam People's Army often come from the Soviet Union, however, the first modern submachine gun of Vietnam was the French MAT-49. Photo source: modernfirearms |
 |
| This is one of the submachine guns equipped in relatively large numbers for the main force of the Vietnam People's Army. However, their origin was not purchased or aided, but was the spoils of war captured when fighting the French army. Photo source: QĐNDVN |
 |
| Not only that, besides reusing these guns, later in the early stages of the resistance war against the US, the Vietnamese military also improved the MAT-49 submachine gun to transfer to the South. Photo source: military |
 |
| The modification included replacing the original barrel with a K50 submachine gun barrel, replacing the sight, and modifying the magazine to accommodate the K50 magazine. During the two years from 1962 to 1963, over 2,000 MAT-49s were modified and sent to support the South. Photo source: QĐNDVN |
 |
| The MAT-49 is a submachine gun developed and manufactured by the French military factory Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) for the French army to replace the MAS-38. The gun was produced and equipped from 1949 until 1979. It was then replaced by the Famas ultra-fast assault rifle. Photo source: Arundel Militaria |
 |
| The MAT-49 was produced in a die-cast form, making it easy to mass-produce and equip the French Army in large numbers. Later, the French Expeditionary Force, as well as the paratroopers and troops stationed in the colonies, saw widespread use in the Indochina War, the Algerian War, and the Suez Crisis of 1959. Photo source: Tumblr |
 |
| The gun is popular among paratroopers and engineers because of its mobility and powerful firepower. The gun weighs 3.5kg, and with a 32-round magazine it weighs 4.1kg. The gun is 460mm long, with the stock extended to 720mm. The barrel length is 230mm. Photo source: Arundel Militaria. |
 |
| The standard version uses 9x19mm Parabellum bullets, but later Vietnam improved the gun to use the Soviet standard 7.62x25mm Tokarev. When using 9x19mm Parabellum bullets, the gun has a rate of fire of 600 rounds/minute, and if using 7.62x25mm Tokarev bullets, the rate of fire reaches up to 900 rounds/minute. This is a fairly high rate of fire for a submachine gun. Photo source: US Army |
 |
| The MAT-49 submachine gun uses a blowback mechanism. The police version is the MAT 49/54 with two triggers, one for single shots and the other for automatic fire, but most of this version is produced with only one trigger for automatic fire. Photo source: Military |
 |
| The gun's effective firing range was only about 150m. Its weight was moderate compared to other submachine guns at that time, its design was sturdy, and its operation was effective. The MAT-49 was considered one of the most successful submachine guns at that time. Photo source: militay us |
According to Kienthuc
