Vietnam is going to become the second South-East Asian country after the Philippines, which has shown keen interest in purchasing India’s supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. During Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s two-day (18-19 May) visit to Hanoi, the BrahMos deal is going to be discussed.

According to the Defense Ministry, Rajnath Singh is also going to Vietnam (18-19 May) and South Korea (19-21 May) on a five-day tour. Before the start of the tour, Rajnath Singh himself gave information about the tour to Vietnam and South Korea on social media platform X. Rajnath Singh wrote, ‘Look forward to visiting both the Asian countries to further expand bilateral relations. Our focus will be on deepening strategic military cooperation, strengthening defense industrial partnerships and promoting maritime cooperation, which will promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is noteworthy that earlier this month, Vietnamese President To Lam had visited India. During that time, India had announced to provide a credit line of 500 million dollars (about Rs 5000 crore) to Vietnam. From this credit line, 03-04 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV ships) and more than a dozen high speed patrol boats are to be built for Vietnam. Apart from this, India has offered maintenance, repair and overhauling (MRO) of Vietnam’s Sukhoi fighter jets and Kilo class submarines. Like India, Vietnam also uses Russian Sukhoi fighter aircraft and Kilo class submarines.

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During the Vietnamese President’s visit to Delhi, the Indian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement informing about the discussion on purchasing BrahMos missile. In such a situation, there is a strong possibility that during Rajnath Singh’s visit to Hanoi, there is going to be a discussion between the two countries on purchasing BrahMos missile because in the year 2022, India had signed a BrahMos deal worth $375 million (Rs 3500 crore) with the Philippines.

Philippines had purchased these BrahMos (anti-ship) missiles due to tensions with China in the South China Sea. Like the Philippines, Vietnam also has a long-standing maritime dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea. This is the reason why Vietnam can also buy BrahMos missile to strengthen its maritime security.

India’s Defense Ministry issued an official statement on Monday (May 18, 2026) saying that Rajnath Singh’s visit to Hanoi is taking place at a time when 10 years of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries have been completed. During the Hanoi visit, Rajnath Singh will have a special meeting with Vietnam’s Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang. During the tour, Rajnath Singh will also pay tribute at the memorial of former Vietnamese President Ho Chin Minh.

According to the Defense Ministry, during his visit to South Korea, Rajnath Singh will discuss regional and global issues including defense cooperation with his counterpart Ahn Gyu Bak and will chair the Indo-Korea Business Roundtable. The Defense Minister will also inaugurate a war memorial in the memory of Indian soldiers martyred in the Korean War (1950-53) in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

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