Head to head · SD Strength Index
China vs Vietnam Military Power 2026 Compared
on 7 of 7 areas
| 71 | Air powercounts for 24% | 11 | ||
| 100 | Missiles & strikecounts for 15% | 7 | ||
| 95 | Air & missile defencecounts for 14% | 12 | ||
| 76 | Sea powercounts for 13% | 19 | ||
| 93 | Land forcescounts for 10% | 32 | ||
| 100 | Manpowercounts for 6% | 96 | ||
| 55 | Budget & industrycounts for 18% | 13 |
Key figures
| China | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Defence budget ($bn) | 277–377 | 8–11.9 |
| Active personnel | 2m–2m | 450k–480k |
| Reserves | 510k | 3m–5m |
| Combat aircraft | 1,900–2,300 | 65–75 |
| Fifth-generation fighters | 250–400 | 0 |
| Attack helicopters | 250–350 | 20–30 |
| Main battle tanks | 4,800–6,900 | 1,200–2,000 |
| Aircraft carriers | 3 | 0 |
| Submarines | 58–66 | 6 |
| Naval fleet | 370–395 | 65–100 |
| Ballistic missiles | 3,100 | — |
| Missile range (km) | 11k–15k | 300–500 |
| Long-range air-defence batteries | 110–150 | 2 |
| Nuclear warheads | 600–640 | 0 |
Branch by branch
| Air power Advantage: China | China. An estimated 1,838 fourth and fifth generation fighters, 308 of them J-20s, with an estimated 50 early warning aircraft and 25 tankers in support. | Vietnam. Some 35 Su-30MK2s and 9 to 11 ageing Su-27s, plus an estimated 20 to 25 Su-22 fighter-bombers with no replacement ordered. No stealth fighters. |
| Naval Advantage: China | China. More than 370 ships and submarines, three carriers, about 35 Type 052D and 10 Type 055 destroyers, four Type 075 assault ships and some 62 submarines. | Vietnam. An estimated 80 vessels, led by four Gepard 3.9 frigates, about 12 Molniya missile corvettes and six Kilo 636.1 submarines. No destroyers or carriers. |
| Missiles Advantage: China | China. About 3,100 ballistic missiles at the end of 2024, 400 of them intercontinental. A DF-31B test in September 2024 flew about 11,000 km. | Vietnam. Scud-class missiles with an estimated reach of 300 to 500 km, Bastion-P coastal batteries and the home-built Truong Son anti-ship missile, whose range is not published. |
| Air and missile defence Advantage: China | China. An estimated 110 to 150 long-range batteries, mostly HQ-9 and HQ-9B, alongside Russian S-300PMU and S-400 systems. | Vietnam. Two S-300PMU1 battalions around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, an estimated five or six Israeli SPYDER fire units and Viettel's upgraded S-125-VT. |
| Land forces Advantage: China | China. About 2,035,000 active troops and an estimated 5,000 tanks, among them some 2,000 to 2,500 Type 96s and 500 to 650 Type 99s. | Vietnam. An estimated 470,000 active troops and 1,200 to 2,000 tanks. Only 64 are T-90S/SKs; the rest are T-54/55, T-62 and Type 59s, many in storage. |
| Reserves Advantage: Vietnam | China. About 510,000 reservists, plus an estimated 500,000 to 660,000 in the People's Armed Police. | Vietnam. An estimated 3 to 5 million reservists, drawn from a population of about 101 million. |
| Budget Advantage: China | China. An announced 1.91 trillion yuan for 2026, about $277bn and 7 per cent up. Silent Dossier puts real spending as high as $377bn. | Vietnam. No published defence budget. An estimated $10.5bn in 2025, about 2.2 per cent of GDP, within a range of $8bn to $11.9bn. |
| Nuclear Advantage: China | China. An estimated 620 warheads at the start of 2026, about 34 of them deployed. | Vietnam. No nuclear weapons. |
If it came to war
| Scenario | Short war | Long war |
|---|---|---|
| A clash over Vietnam's Spratly outposts | China Vietnam has reclaimed land at all 21 features it holds and built harbours and a runway at Barque Canada Reef, and its Kilo submarines carry Club-S missiles. China can send some 45 modern destroyers and an estimated 1,838 modern fighters against them. | China Chinese yards launch three or four Type 052D destroyers a year. Vietnam's first home-built anti-submarine frigate, laid down in August 2026, will take about 36 months to finish. |
| A war on the northern land border | China Vietnam would fight on home ground with a large conscript army, but most of its tanks are T-54/55s and about 45 modern fighters would face Chinese air power above them. | China Reserves estimated at 3 to 5 million give Vietnam depth. China builds its own fighters at an estimated 100 J-20s a year, while Vietnam builds no combat aircraft and cannot replace its Russian heavy weapons quickly. |
How far ahead of Vietnam is China?
China has about 2,035,000 active troops to an estimated 470,000 in Vietnam. Its announced 2026 defence budget of 1.91 trillion yuan, about $277bn, is roughly 26 times what Vietnam is estimated to have spent in 2025. Hanoi publishes no defence budget at all. Silent Dossier's estimate is $10.5bn, about 2.2 per cent of GDP, inside a range of $8bn to $11.9bn.
China builds almost everything it fields, from carriers to stealth fighters and nuclear submarines. Vietnam's industry turns out corvettes, patrol boats, radars, electronic warfare kit, drones and an anti-ship missile, but no fighters and no engines. China also holds an estimated 620 nuclear warheads, and Vietnam has no nuclear weapons.
Can Vietnam's air force contest Chinese airspace?
Not for long. Its front line is some 35 Su-30MK2s and 9 to 11 Su-27s, about 45 modern fighters in all. An estimated 20 to 25 Su-22 fighter-bombers are still its main strike type. No replacement has been contracted, and the ageing Sukhoi fleet suffered fatal crashes in 2023. About 10 Yak-130 trainers remain from 12 delivered in 2021 and 2022, after losses in November 2024 and January 2026.
China flies an estimated 1,838 fourth and fifth generation fighters, including 308 J-20s. Vietnam is looking for more aircraft. Russia's Irkutsk aircraft plant says a deal for 18 Yak-130M light combat jets is being finalised, with deliveries from late 2028, but Hanoi has not confirmed it. A reported purchase of up to 24 F-16s had no contract by October 2026, and talk of a Rafale order is speculation.
How does Vietnam's military strength hold up at sea?
Vietnam's navy is built to deny waters close to its coast. Six Kilo 636.1 submarines carry Club-S missiles for land and sea targets. Four Gepard 3.9 frigates and about 12 Molniya corvettes carry anti-ship missiles, and Bastion-P and Truong Son batteries cover the shore. On 10 August 2026 work began at Song Thu in Da Nang on the first Vietnamese-built anti-submarine frigate, a ship of 2,500 to 3,000 tonnes.
That fleet of an estimated 80 vessels faces more than 370 Chinese ships and submarines, including three carriers and some 45 modern destroyers. Vietnam has also been building in the Spratlys. In the year to May 2026 it added about 534 acres of reclaimed land, and it has now reclaimed land at all 21 features it holds, with harbours and a runway at Barque Canada Reef.
Does Vietnam have any edge over China?
In reserves. Vietnam's are estimated at 3 to 5 million, from a population of about 101 million, against about 510,000 Chinese reservists. The army's armour is old, though: mostly T-54/55, T-62 and Type 59 tanks, many of them in storage. Only 64 are modern T-90S/SKs, delivered by 2019.
Combat experience is thin on both sides. China has not fought a war since 1979. Vietnam's last fight was a clash with China at Johnson South Reef in the Spratlys in 1988, near the end of the border fighting that followed China's invasion of 1979.
Where does Vietnam buy its weapons now?
Almost every major Vietnamese weapon is Russian or Soviet, and Russia's industrial strain since 2022 has made spares and new orders harder to secure. Hanoi has spread its buying. In July 2025 it signed a $250m government-to-government deal with South Korea's Hanwha for 20 K9 howitzers, the first K9 sale to a communist state, though deliveries are unconfirmed. Twelve T-6C trainers are arriving from the United States through 2027, and India helps keep the Su-30 fleet flying.
Vietnam stays out of alliances under its "four nos" policy and holds comprehensive partnerships with the United States, China and Russia alike. It has no treaty partner to call on in a war. China's one formal ally is North Korea, under a 1961 treaty.
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Questions readers ask
Who would win a China vs Vietnam war today?
China. It has about four times as many active troops, an estimated 1,838 modern fighters to Vietnam's 45 or so, and more than 370 ships and submarines to roughly 80 Vietnamese vessels. Vietnam's main counterweight is a reserve estimated at 3 to 5 million.
What happened in the 1979 war between China and Vietnam?
China invaded northern Vietnam in February 1979 and pulled its troops back in March. Fighting along the border went on until 1989. It was the last war China fought.
What fighter jets does Vietnam have?
Some 35 Su-30MK2s and 9 to 11 Su-27s, plus an estimated 20 to 25 ageing Su-22 fighter-bombers. A reported deal for up to 24 F-16s had no contract by October 2026.
Does Vietnam have submarines?
Yes, six Russian-built Kilo 636.1 boats armed with Club-S missiles. China has about 62 submarines, six of them Type 094 ballistic missile boats.
How much does Vietnam spend on its military?
Hanoi does not publish a defence budget. Silent Dossier estimates about $10.5bn for 2025, around 2.2 per cent of GDP. China announced about $277bn for 2026.