Việt Nam’s Close Partnership with Israel Contrasts Its Critique of Gaza Calamity

As the Israeli army issues [1] sweeping evacuation orders for Gaza City residents before launching more destructive strikes against Hamas, Palestinians who already suffer under extreme conditions in the region continue to bear the brunt of Tel Aviv’s indiscriminate attacks.  

Based on accumulating evidence of potential war crimes committed against civilians, questions arise over the effectiveness and rationality of Israel’s anti-terrorist operations. The unflinching reporting of the humanitarian crisis challenges the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)’s continued military presence and dims the prospect of a two-state solution—regarded as the precondition for lasting peace in the region.

Việt Nam, along with other national governments, has repeatedly criticized [2] the bombardment of Gaza, calling for a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid.  This public stance is rooted in a long history of solidarity; the Southeast Asian country formally recognized Palestine on November 18, 1988, building on a diplomatic relationship the Palestine Liberation Organization established with the Northern communist regime in 1968.

Despite these deep historical ties with Palestine, Hà Nội maintains a close and growing partnership with the IDF and the Israeli government in sectors including trade, military procurement, intelligence, and joint agricultural development. While this cooperation with Tel Aviv reflects Việt Nam’s commitment to its “bamboo diplomacy,” it stands in stark contradiction to its condemnation of the IDF’s operations and raises concerns over the country’s ethical stance on the humanitarian crisis.

Việt Nam and Israel: A Close Partnership

Since establishing diplomatic relations on July 12, 1993, Việt Nam and Israel have engaged in a comprehensive partnership across several critical fields. [3]

Trade forms the bedrock of the relationship. On July 25, 2023, Hà Nội and Tel Aviv signed a free trade agreement that took effect in 2024, which is expected to boost annual trade by up to 50% toward a goal of US$3 billion. According to public data, Israel is Việt Nam’s fifth-largest trade partner. In the first six months of 2025 alone, bilateral trade reached $1.825 billion, a 31.2% year-on-year increase. 

Việt Nam is also the largest exporter to Israel in Southeast Asia, sending over $1.454 billion worth of goods in 2024, primarily electronic equipment, apparel, footwear, and agricultural products. [4]

Israeli foreign direct investment (FDI) also plays a significant role in the Vietnamese economy, spanning from industrial weaponry, sophisticated intelligence equipment, and machinery, to less sensitive categories such as chemical fertilizers, fruits, and vegetables.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Investment, as of July 2023, Israel had 40 FDI projects with a total investment of $140 million in Việt Nam— ranking 47th among its 148 foreign investors.

Beyond these robust economic ties, the partnership deepens significantly in the realm of defense and security, especially as Việt Nam diversifies its military hardware away from Russian-made armaments. One of the Vietnamese military’s most notable procurements is the SPYDER air defense system, [5] developed by the Israeli defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in 2015.

Praised for its capabilities in efficiently detecting and countering aerial threats, SPYDER is regarded as a solution for Southeast Asian nations to address growing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The SPYDER air defense system was displayed at the Việt Nam Defense Expo 2024.

The expo also featured the STV rifle range, which is based on Israel’s Galil ACE model and produced by Việt Nam’s military-operated Factory Z111, under license from Israel Weapon Industries (IWI).

Since 2022, these firearms have been deployed [6] to several military units to replace Soviet-era Kalashnikov rifles gradually. The STV rifle’s symbolic importance [7] was highlighted during a military parade in Hồ Chí Minh City on April 30, marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the Việt Nam War.

According to state media, [8] Việt Nam has acquired other advanced Israeli defense equipment, including Tavor assault rifles—used by IDF troops in Gaza—Matador anti-tank artillery, Extra and Accular guided rocket launchers, three-dimensional ELM-2288ER radar systems, and high-precision reconnaissance equipment for maritime patrol aircraft.

Israel has also provided technology to upgrade Việt Nam’s aging T-54/55 tanks. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates [9] that Việt Nam spent roughly $180 million on weapons from Israeli companies between 2018 and 2022, making it Israel’s 5th largest arms customer worldwide.

This strategic alignment extends into the vital realm of intelligence. In March 2025, Haaretz reported [10] that Việt Nam’s Military Intelligence had signed a deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to purchase two spy satellites worth $680 million to allegedly “address China’s provocations” in the South China Sea.

However, sources from the Israel Defense Ministry said that even if the deal is signed, the procurement progress could stall “due to disagreements” between its defense and political leaderships or competition from American and French defense contractors. 

Meanwhile, IAI’s vice president for marketing in East Asia, Amir Eshel, revealed in an interview with Bloomberg [11] that the company planned to establish a joint venture in Việt Nam in 2025 that would include technology transfers. Eshel added that he believed “Việt Nam will become a major market for IAI in the future.”

More controversially, Israel’s advanced spyware industry is believed to assist the communist regime in monitoring and suppressing journalists and political dissidents.

A 2021 investigation disclosed [12] that Israeli firm Cellebrite had reportedly sold phone-hacking spyware, including its UFED Premium service, to Việt Nam’s Public Security Ministry.

Both administrations have held workshops [13] and symposiums [14] to promote cybersecurity and the modernization of Vietnamese digital infrastructure. Cybersecurity companies from Israel introduced solutions and access to their products to government agencies, Vietnamese banks, and tech firms, addressing their security needs through vulnerability fixing, cybersecurity consulting, malicious attacks protection, and Dark Web monitoring.

Meanwhile, government-to-government coordination in agriculture, education and labor exchange weave a stronger tapestry of bilateral relations. MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, offers [15] training courses for Vietnamese nationals in various fields. Following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the Vietnamese embassy evacuated [16] around 100 agricultural trainees for safety and halted all recruitment programs until further notice. 

On March 28, the Vietnamese Association in Israel was established [17] following a conference held in Tel Aviv the day before. Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Lý Đức Trung said that the association would “serve as an effective bridge between the community and the embassy,” and seek to “promote the community’s cohesion, safeguard members’ rights, and foster stronger ties with both local authorities and the homeland.”

Bamboo Diplomacy vs. Humanitarian Urgency

Hà Nội’s burgeoning partnership with Tel Aviv, especially in the defense sector, starkly contradicts its official opposition to the violence incurred by IDF operations in the Gaza Strip. Diplomatically, Việt Nam has consistently affirmed its strong support for a ceasefire and a two-state solution.

This public stance has been consistent across various UN forums. At an emergency session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2023, Ambassador Đặng Hoàng Giang condemned [18] Israel’s attacks on civilians and called for an “immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.” 

Việt Nam subsequently voted in favor of two UNGA humanitarian ceasefire resolutions in October and December 2023. In March 2024, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Phạm Thu Hằng announced [19] Việt Nam’s support for UNSC Resolution 2728 advocating for peace through dialogue.

Most recently at a UNGA session in June, Minister Counselor Nguyễn Hoàng Nguyên reiterated [20] Hà Nội’s call for “unimpeded and uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”

When asked by The Vietnamese Magazine to comment on the contradiction between this diplomatic stance and its close military partnership with Israel, Việt Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond.

While Hà Nội’s cooperation with Tel Aviv showcases the pragmatism of its “bamboo diplomacy,” which prioritizes multilateralism and national interest, the ongoing devastation in Gaza calls for a more concrete and principled stance. This situation tests the limits of Việt Nam’s foreign policy, whose celebrated flexibility will only prove resilient if it remains firmly rooted in the principles of justice and human rights.