"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages, that in fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it’s already been signed," Rajesh Kumar Singh told reporters at the Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore, providing the first public acknowledgement that India has signed a BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam.
Rajesh Kumar Singh at the Shangri‑La Dialogue
Singh, identified in reporting as India’s defense secretary, spoke in response to a question from a Vietnamese delegate at the Shangri‑La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore. He did not give technical or financial details of the Vietnam agreement during the exchange, but he framed the sale as consistent with India sharing advanced technology with "friendly foreign" countries, according to a report by ThePrint.
What media reports say about timing and price
ThePrint cited unnamed sources in India’s defence and security establishment saying the deal to sell BrahMos to Vietnam was actually signed in the last fiscal year and was not publicly announced "given the sensitivities involved." Separately, Reuters reported last month that a deal with Vietnam could be worth about 60 billion rupees (about $629 million), and that the package would include training and logistical support. Reuters also reported that the issue was likely discussed during Vietnamese President To Lam’s state visit to India in early May.
BrahMos Aerospace and the missile's profile
The BrahMos system is produced by BrahMos Aerospace, described in the reporting as an India‑Russian joint venture set up in 1998. The missile is characterized in the source material as the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile. It can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms and flies at nearly three times the speed of sound, a profile that the reporting says makes it "nearly impossible for targets to evade."
Regional customers and the spreading sales pattern
If confirmed publicly, Vietnam would be the third Southeast Asian nation reported to have agreed to acquire BrahMos. The Philippines closed a $374 million deal in early 2022 to buy three BrahMos missile batteries; the first battery was delivered in April 2024, the reporting notes. Indonesia said in March of this year that it had finalized an agreement with India to procure BrahMos cruise missiles, and Indian media reporting described that package as the sale of one battery comprising launchers, radars, and missiles—contingent on Indonesia arranging financing. Thailand and Malaysia have also shown interest, the reporting adds.
India‑Vietnam defense ties and recent agreements
New Delhi’s outreach to Hanoi sits inside a broader defence relationship that the source traces back to a comprehensive strategic partnership signed in 2016 and further deepened in 2022. In June 2022, India’s defense minister Rajnath Singh and then‑Vietnamese defense minister Gen. Phan Van Giang signed a "Joint Vision Statement on India‑Vietnam Defense Partnership Towards 2030." At the same time the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Logistics Support, which the Indian Defense Ministry described as the "first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country."
What this means for Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines
- Vietnam: A signed BrahMos deal, reported to include training and logistics, would deepen Hanoi’s defensive options by adding a supersonic, multi‑platform cruise missile reportedly capable of being launched from land, sea, sub‑sea, and air platforms. The agreement would also mark a new level of India‑Vietnam military equipment cooperation under the two countries’ 2016 partnership and later 2022 defence accords.
- Indonesia: With an agreement described as finalized in March and reports of a single battery sale pending financing, Jakarta will be monitoring the timing and financing arrangements before delivery and integration—an incremental upgrade over the Russian‑origin Yakhont system the Indonesian Navy has operated, according to reporting.
- Philippines: Having completed a $374 million purchase in early 2022 and received a first battery in April 2024, Manila represents a precedent for Southeast Asian countries buying BrahMos with an expectation of both weapons and accompanying training and logistics support.
The public confirmation by India’s defense secretary transforms long‑standing reporting and rumors into an acknowledged transaction—albeit with the specifics left to other reporting and official releases. The core facts in hand are straightforward: a sale to Vietnam is now publicly acknowledged by India’s defense secretary; ThePrint reports the deal was signed last fiscal year but withheld from public announcement; Reuters has placed a possible value at about 60 billion rupees including training and logistics; and comparable BrahMos transactions with other Southeast Asian nations have already moved from contract to delivery.
What remains to be seen—and what observers will likely watch next—is whether India or Vietnam will publish formal contract terms, the timeline for any announced deliveries, and how the broader pattern of BrahMos sales in Southeast Asia will affect regional defence postures.
