As Hanoi seeks to build its defence manufacturing capabilities with the frigate, it is likely to remain dependent on foreign know-how
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenSam BeltranPublished: 5:19pm, 13 Aug 2026Vietnam’s construction of its most ambitious warship to date signals its ambition to develop a self-sufficient defence industry and assert its maritime interests.However, the country is expected to remain dependent on foreign technology for high-end engines, sensors and other critical systems even as it builds its defence manufacturing capabilities, according to analysts.
The frigate is being built at the Vietnamese defence ministry’s Song Thu shipyard in Da Nang City, the military newspaper Quan Doi Nhan Dan reported on Monday.
State-owned military technology and telecommunications group Viettel will undertake the construction with the navy, Song Thu and other defence units, including weapons and equipment integration, according to the report.
Vietnamese state media said the frigate would be built over 36 months, describing it as the largest and most modern combat ship to be produced domestically, designed to hunt submarines and fitted with phased-array radar, air-defence missiles and anti-ship missiles.
The project is part of Vietnam’s plans to develop a defence industry that is “autonomous, self-reliant, self-strengthening, dual-use and modern,” according to a government statement.
