NDTV reported that Vietnam today officially confirmed that it has received BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, but refrained from any details on the military purchase regarding the costs and the actual number of missiles received.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said “The procurement of defence equipment by Vietnam is consistent with the policy of peace and self-defence and is the normal practice in national defence.” She also said that the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which includes cooperation in defence has “been making a practical contribution to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.”

Although India is yet to comment on the sale, some Vietnamese journalists claimed that the batch of the cruise missiles arrived a few days back.

BrahMos is one of the most advanced cruise missiles available in the world, and the first supersonic cruise missile to be developed. Jointly developed by Russia’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization, the missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and has a range of 300 km. The missile can be launched from aircrafts, ships, submarines, and land.

In recent times India has significantly increased its military cooperation with Vietnam, providing it with naval patrol vessels, counter-insurgency and jungle warfare trainings, and training Vietnamese Navy personnel in operating Kilo-class submarines which India operates and Vietnam is due to acquire from Russia. But such sale of BrahMos cruise missiles is the first arms trade deal between the two countries.

The sale of missiles come at the backdrop of the India-China standoff at Doklam, and is believed to increase the tension between the two neighbors. Vietnam is considered to be an arch-enemy of China, with both the nations at loggerheads over the disputed South China Sea.

The move by India is also believed to counter China’s military trade narrative against India; half of China’s military exports go to Pakistan.