#Vietnam

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.