Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second from left) visits the defence product exhibition area of ​​Viettel on December 19. (Photo: VNA)  

Sixteen contracts worth 286.3 million USD in total, and 17 cooperation agreements between Vietnam’s defence industry units and businesses from various countries such as the US, India, France and Belgium were signed at the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024 held in Hanoi from December 19-22.

The information was released at a conference to sum up the expo, organised by the Ministry of National Defence on December 22 afternoon.

The expo, the second of its kind, gathered 242 units and enterprises from over 30 countries worldwide. It spanned a total area of over 100,000 sq.m, featuring both indoor and outdoor exhibition zones. Notably, many new military equipment and weaponry developed and produced by Vietnam's defence industry were introduced for the first time.

As of 12:00 PM on December 22, the expo had welcomed over 260,000 visitors, and 1,872 bilateral meetings and contacts had been held, with collaboration opportunities in various potential areas discussed.

The biennial event, hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, aims to share achievements and experiences in researching, producing, and using weapons and equipment; and promote cooperation in the field of defence industry among participating countries./.