Security was one among the most important topics discussed with Vietnamese leaders by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala during a three-day visit last week, the official said, noting that security firms made up the most important a part of the business delegation that accompanied Fiala.
In 2021, Hanoi ordered a dozen L-39NG light combat aircraft from Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody, with delivery starting this yr. Talks are underway to produce more such planes, said a source who attended the high-level meetings and asked to not be named since the talks are internal.
At the top of Fiala’s meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Vietnamese government stated that “the 2 leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation within the areas of security and defense, amongst others.”
Ukraine compares: why Vietnam should worry greater than Taiwan
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The official said Prague could support the transfer of weapons technology and native production if significant supply agreements are concluded.
Of the 15 firms that make up the Czech business delegation, 4 are security firms. These were Czechoslovak Group, Colt CZ Group, Omnipol and STV GROUP, the official said.
The firms didn’t reply to requests for comment, and Colt declined to comment.
Omnipol has a minority stake in Aero Vodochody and owns Aircraft Industries, the Czech maker of the L 410 NG transport plane, the sale of which was also discussed last week with Vietnamese military procurement officials, the official said.
Similar talks were held in recent days with Indonesian civil officials and their counterparts from the Philippines as a part of the Czech delegation’s tour of Asian countries.
Omnipol officials also held talks in Vietnam in regards to the possible sale of a dual-use radar that can be installed at civilian and military airports, the official said.
In Hanoi, the STV Group and the Czechoslovak Group discussed possible contracts for the modernization of Vietnamese tanks and Soviet-made armored vehicles with advanced technologies, including communications equipment.
If you wish your old Soviet equipment to run easily, you haven’t got many options. Or possibly do it in a more sophisticated way
Under these agreements, the businesses could also provide spare parts and maintenance, the source said, noting that talks are still preliminary and no latest contract was signed last week.
“If you wish old Soviet equipment to run easily, you haven’t got many options. And perhaps it will probably be done in a more sophisticated way,” Czech ambassador to Hanoi Hynek Kmonicek told Reuters.
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The director of Excalibur Army, which is a component of the Czechoslovak Group, said that talks on possible deliveries of recent armored vehicles, rocket launchers and howitzers are progressing very slowly.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry didn’t reply to a request for comment.
A possible firearms sale was also discussed with Colt CZ Group, the Czech holding company that owns the longtime U.S. maker of rifles and carbines, the source said.
