#Vietnam

When the M79 reached U.S. troops in the early 1960s, it looked like someone had shortened a shotgun and given it an artillery round, a compact, single-shot, break-open launcher that fired a low-velocity 40x46mm grenade. It gave small units a new kind of miniature artillery: explosive power far beyond a thrown hand grenade but without the logistics and crew required for a mortar. That blend of portability, punch, and simplicity made the M79 one of the Vietnam War’s iconic small arms, and it invited modifications in the field. Special operators in MACV-SOG and other units modified by shortening the barrel for specific roles, while post-war Vietnam even produced a locally made variant.

The old-school DShK and Type 54 heavy machine guns, supplied by the Soviet Union and China, were once the backbone of Vietnam’s heavy machine gun inventory. Rugged, reliable, and brutally effective, they earned their reputation across countless battlefields during the wars against the French, South Vietnam, and the United States. Their 12.7mm projectiles can defeat light armor and low-flying aircraft, while their long range and sheer volume of fire make them invaluable in both offense and defense. Over time, these weapons became legends, remembered as symbols of Vietnam’s anti-aircraft capability.

Vietnam’s defense industry has steadily grown in capability over the past decades, and one of the more interesting developments is the DL7N machine gun, a Vietnamese-produced version of the world-famous   Russian PKM general-purpose machine gun. This weapon, designated DL7N (ĐL-7N), is chambered in the traditional 7.62x54mm cartridge and serves as the standard-issue machine gun for Vietnamese motorized infantry at the platoon or company level.

Naval warfare has always demanded tools that are as specialized as the environment in which they are used. Unlike land or air combat, operations beneath the surface place unique challenges on both the operator and the weapon. Naval divers, tasked with missions ranging from sabotage and reconnaissance beneath the waves, require arms designed to function reliably in conditions that would cripple conventional firearms. Saltwater corrosion, the drag of dense liquid, and the need for lethality at extremely short ranges all demand engineering solutions far outside the norm.

During my travels around Vietnam, I started covering Vietnamese weapons in the lead-up to the big 80th National Day celebration on September 2, 2025. While researching, I ended up chatting with a friend about a fascinating rifle project.

When most people think of Vietnam and small arms, they picture battle-worn AKs carried through the jungles of the Cold War era. But half a century later, the country’s defense industry is no longer just a consumer of foreign weapons; it’s a creator. One of the most curious examples of this shift is the STL-15, a homegrown submachine gun inspired by Russia’s PP-19 Bizon. It is famous for its helical magazine, which was built not in Izhevsk but in Vietnam’s own Factory.

Wandering through the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi, I stumbled upon what looked like an RPK, only to find it was a TUL-1. Vietnam’s own, manufactured RPK. A weapon born out of necessity, ingenuity, and a fair bit of parts-bin creativity.

When most people think of the Vietnam War and the weapons used by the North Vietnamese forces, iconic firearms like the AK-47 or the SKS usually come to mind. But there's one lesser-known weapon that played a key role during the conflict: Vietnam’s very own submachine gun, the K-50M. The K-50M is a curious piece of Cold War-era hardware that’s part Chinese, part Vietnamese, and totally underrated.

I previously covered the PKP machine gun and its use in Armenia. Now, it is making an unlikely appearance in Vietnam. For decades, the backbone of Vietnam’s infantry firepower has been shaped by Soviet and later Russian weaponry. From Kalashnikov rifles to the PKM machine gun, Vietnamese soldiers have long relied on designs imported or licensed from abroad. But the landscape is changing. Vietnam’s growing defense industry, centered around the Z111 Factory, has begun producing locally manufactured small arms to reduce reliance on imports.

TFB already covered new rifles, pistols, and machine guns showcased at the Vietnam Defence Expo 2024. But there are more: this year, three new sniper rifles were introduced for the first time.