Vietnam is negotiating to buy T-90 tanks from Russia.

The Izvestia newspaper quoted a representative of the Russian Uralvagonzavod corporation as confirming that Vietnam is in negotiations to purchase T-90MS tanks.

"The Vietnamese armored forces will be greatly strengthened by equipping themselves with Russian-made T-90 tanks. Negotiations are underway. For us, the order is of medium size. The price is being negotiated. The quantity supplied is not very large, about 100 units," said Vladimir Roshupkina, Director of Uralvagonzavod Corporation.

Before representatives of Uralvagonzavod confirmed this information, in late July 2016, the Russian Far East Politics website also published information stating that Vietnam had received a number of KZKT-7428 Rusich tractor trucks specifically designed to transport Russian-made T-90MS tanks.

T-90MS tank.

Although there is no official information indicating that Vietnam has ordered T-90MS tanks, according to Russian and Chinese media, the Vietnamese army has ordered Russia's most modern tank, although the exact quantity is unclear.

According to the Protect Russia news website on June 6th, Vietnam is preparing to order approximately 28 T-90MS tanks (the "S" designation indicates the export version of the T-90). The source, citing China's Sina website, stated that these tanks are expected to be deployed in the northern border provinces.

Vietnam is currently in the process of modernizing its army, and is prioritizing its navy and air force. As early as the 2000s, Vietnam intended to purchase 150 T-72M1 tanks from Eastern Europe, but these tanks lacked explosive protection armor and night vision equipment, so the contract fell through, according to Protect Russia.

Meanwhile, the T-54 tank upgrade project is also underway, but Vietnam still seems to have not chosen the optimal configuration. Therefore, the purchase of T-90MS tanks is absolutely essential for Vietnam's armored forces at this time.

However, while the Protect Russia website claims Vietnam is ready to buy 28 T-90MS tanks, the Chinese military website Sina claims Vietnam has decided to spend a hefty $650 million to purchase 130 of Russia's latest T-90MS tanks. However, Sina did not cite any reliable source from Russia.

According to Baodatviet