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HQ 182 Hanoi - 636-M Kilo

The VPN (Vietnam People's Navy) has the largest submarine force in ASEAN with 6 Kilo class submarines. In April 2009, reports surfaced that Vietnam had agreed in principle to a deal with Russia for 6 of its diesel-electric Kilo/ Project 636 Class submarine. The diesel-powered 636-M Kilo vessels were ordered in 2009 from Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg for $2 billion. Russia and Vietnam had been negotiating a $1.8 billion deal on the delivery of six Kilo-class submarines to the Vietnamese navy for about a year. Admiralty Shipyards was currently building two Kilo class submarines for Algeria to be delivered in 2009 and 2010.

Submarines of this project feature the best stealth quality than any other domestic warships. Merging with natural water noise the submarine can detect a target at a distance 3 to 4 times more then the distance of her own detection by an enemy. The Improved Kilo, or Project 636 Varshavyanka-class submarine also features an inertial navigation system (INS) with long-term storage of parameters without correction. The warship was designed for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters.

The first Russian Kilo Class submarine was released in the early 1980s. The latest models of the vessel are almost 74m-long, have a 3,000-ton displacement and can operate in 300 meter-depths at a speed of 20 nautical miles per hour. The Varshavianka-class submarines are used to fight both submarines and surface ships, as well as to defend naval bases, coastal and undersea communications, and reconnaissance of an opponent's communications.

The first two submarines, the 182-Hanoi and 183-Ho Chi Minh, were handed over to Vietnam in April 2014. On March 28, 2014, Saint-Petersburg based Admiralty Shipyards held an official ceremony of floating out the Khanh Hoa, submarine of project 636. According to the press center of Saint-Petersburg Administration, the event was attended by representatives of Admiralty Shipyards OJSC, Vietnam People's Navy, Saint-Petersburg Administration, Russian defence export company Rosoboronexport OJSC and Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering “Rubin”. This is the fourth serial submarine of project 636 built for Vietnam by Admiralty Shipyards.

Vietnam on 02 August 2015 celebrated the replenishment of its navy with two additional kilo-class submarines, which were produced in Russia. At the commissioning ceremony at Cam Ranh Naval Base in Khanh Hoa Province, south of Hanoi, the national flag was raised on both vessels. The submarines' names — 184-Hai Phong and 185-Khanh Hoa — are the names of Vietnamese coastal cities.

During his official speech, Rear Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, the Vietnam People's Navy commander, said the submarines will signify a new stage in upgrading the navy and the fighting capabilities of the Vietnam People's Army. As the submarines were commissioned amid ongoing tension in the South China Sea; Pham Hoai Nam also stressed during his speech that reinforcement of the Vietnamese navy wasn’t meant to create an arms race or deter other countries, but only to protect country’s sovereignty and ensure peace in the region.

There will be two more 636 Varshavyanka Kilo-class submarines arriving in Vietnam to complete the 6-item deal. The last delivery was scheduled to be carried out by 2016. Vietnam's sixth and final Kilo-class submarine arrived at the port of Cam Ranh, Vietnam on 20 January 2017. Russia will also train Vietnamese crews and provide indispensable spare parts. All of the commissioned submarines are to join Submarine Brigade 189.

China has an analogous submarine class, but the submarines supplied to Vietnam also have Club-S missiles alongside torpedoes and mine layers. The Club-S missiles have a range of 300 kilometers and initially fly at a subsonic speed, but the 400 kilogram warhead separates when it approaches the target and accelerates to three times the speed of sound. The missile approaches the target at an altitude of 5 to 10 meters, which makes it almost invisible to radars and practically invulnerable to anti-missile systems. Russia supplies Vietnam with Club-family missiles not only for submarines, but also surface ships. Club-K missiles are capable of being put on cargo vesels and from the outside look like an ordinary shipping container.

What is it that Russia can do for Vietnam that the U.S. cannot? The first thing that comes to mind is arms trade. Russia has been a supplier of military equipment to Vietnam since the war and continues to be the main source of the country’s naval modernization. At the core of this relationship is the six Kilo-class submarine contract complemented by Klub surface-to-surface missiles. Russia is likely to remain the key arms trade partner amid tensions in the South China Sea, which are unlikely to be resolved in the observable future. There is thus almost no way Russia would risk its rediscovered partnership with China by supporting Vietnam’s approach to the South China Sea issue (not to mention the territorial claims themselves).

Carlyle Thayer, an expert on Vietnam from the University of New South Wales, Australia, believes that the possession of this submarine represents "a huge improvement in Vietnam's defense capabilities." He continued: "The Vietnamese army can now operate from four directions: land, sea, air, and underwater."

Following Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, Vietnam has now become one of the Southeast Asian countries with submarines. Sayer said, but there is still some time before Vietnam can effectively use submarines. At present, the country still lacks a strategic overall plan, well-trained seafarers and professional technical knowledge. "Vietnam needs at least ten years of technical support from Russia."

Vietnam's purchase of submarines conforms to the regional trend. China's first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, has been traveling in the East China Sea since September 2012. In August 2013, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force 22DDH helicopter carrier was launched in Yokohama and is expected to enter service in 2015. "The entire Asia-Pacific region is strengthening armaments and carrying out military modernization projects." This is the result of a senior expert seminar held by the Körber Foundation in November 2013.

Experts believe that the reason for the strengthening of armaments is the increasing economic strength of East Asian countries. "On the one hand, neighboring countries are increasingly interested in developing new sources of raw materials. On the other hand, countries have more leeway in increasing defense spending." Therefore, neighboring countries in the East China Sea and South China Sea have been disptuing islands for many years. Or the islands are controversial, mostly because of raw material demand and development of fishery or strategic considerations.

Gerhard Will, an Asian expert at the Berlin Foundation for Science and Politics, is skeptical of the expansion and modernization of Asian navies. "From the perspective of military strategy, it is impossible to achieve a state of balance of power." China owns 60 submarines. Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia can dispatch only two to six submarines, so strengthening armaments does not really mean establishing a balance of military power. Sayer added that Vietnam will increase the cost of military conflicts. "Vietnam will increase the risk of serious consequences for its potential opponents."

The purchase of a submarine may have another purpose. Weir explained: "This purchase of submarines should be more understood as the Vietnamese domestic regime is demonstrating power." This is not difficult to see from the over-enthusiastic response of the Vietnamese domestic media. The Communist Party of Vietnam has been in a crisis of political legitimacy for many years. The message to buy a submarine is: the party will use all means to defend Vietnam.

In 2012, Vietnam held a protest against China's measures to strengthen control over disputed islands in the South China Sea. However, this domestic policy will bring risks in foreign policy. Weir said: "Without a framework, no security structure, all countries are not to be outdone by increasing their military forces. This strategy of strengthening armaments is dangerous."