People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; aka Vietnam People's Army, VPA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Force and Air Defense, Border Defense Force, and Vietnam Coast Guard; Vietnam People's Public Security; Vietnam Civil Defense Force (2020)
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: High Command Headquarters, Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force, Royal Gendarmerie; the National Committee for Maritime Security (performs Coast Guard functions and has representation from military and civilian agencies) (2020)
Military service age and obligation
18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (females eligible for conscription, but in practice only males are drafted); conscription typically takes place twice annually and service obligation is 2 years (Army, Air Defense) and 3 years (Navy and Air Force) (2019)
18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.36% of GDP (2018 est.)
2.3% of GDP (2017)
2.5% of GDP (2016)
2.4% of GDP (2015)
2.3% of GDP (2014)
2.3% of GDP (2019 est.)
2.2% of GDP (2018)
2.1% of GDP (2017)
2% of GDP (2016)
1.8% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
information is limited and estimates of the size of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) vary; approximately 470,000 active duty troops (400,000 ground; 40,000 naval; 30,000 air); est. 40,000 Border Defense Force and Coast Guard (2020)
information varies; approximately 100,000 total active troops including about 3,000 Navy and 1,000 Air Force; est. 10,000 Gendarmerie (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the PAVN is armed largely with weapons and equipment from Russia and the former Soviet Union; Russia remains the main supplier of newer PAVN military equipment, although in recent years Vietnam has begun diversifying its procurement with purchases from other countries including Belarus, India, Israel, South Korea, and Ukraine (2020)
the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are armed largely with older Chinese and Russian-origin equipment; it has received limited amounts of more modern (mostly second-hand) equipment since 2010 with China as the principal provider (2020)
