S. Korea eyes $300 m K9 howitzer exports deal with Vietnam
South Korea is in the final stage of reaching a $300 million agreement to export homegrown K9 self-propelled howitzers to Vietnam, industry and government sources said Monday, in what would mark the first arms exports to the Southeast Asian nation when finalized.
Under the envisioned plan, South Korea will ship around 20 K9 howitzers to Vietnam, which would make Hanoi the 10th country outside of Seoul to acquire the weapons systems, according to the sources.
South Korea has so far shipped the K9 to Australia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, India, Norway, Poland, Romania and Turkey.
The rare deal comes as Vietnam, which is South Korea’s third-largest trading partner, seeks to diversify its arms supplies amid changes in global and regional security circumstances.
In November, Vietnamese troops took part in a K9 training program for foreign troops organized by the South Korean Army.
During a trip to South Korea in 2023, Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang visited a South Korean Army unit that operates the K9 and was briefed on the weapons system by its manufacturer Hanwha Aerospace.
South Korea previously donated two decommissioned corvettes to Vietnam.
Yonhap agency – January 20, 2025