Vietnam's Artillery and Missiles: From the 1955 Parade to the 2025 Parade

This is very easy to see through the parades from 1955 to present.

Pháo binh – tên lửa Việt Nam: Từ duyệt binh 1955 đến diễu binh 2025- Ảnh 1. — Vietnamese artillery parade on January 1, 1955

On January 1, 1955, in the first military parade of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam), welcoming President Ho Chi Minh and the Party Central Committee back to the capital Hanoi after 9 years of resistance, several types of ground artillery participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign appeared.

These were captured 75mm mountain guns and 105mm howitzers (first aid from China, 20 guns with many accompanying equipment were handed over to Regiment 34 - the first heavy artillery regiment of the Vietnam People's Army, January 1953).

Pháo binh – tên lửa Việt Nam: Từ duyệt binh 1955 đến diễu binh 2025- Ảnh 2. — 130mm artillery parade on Ba Dinh Square, May 1, 1973

On May 1, 1973, a parade was held at Ba Dinh Square to celebrate the signing of the Paris Agreement and the restoration of peace in the North. During the ceremony, artillery troops brought 130mm tracked artillery pieces and 85mm artillery pieces pulled by trucks to participate in the parade in the square.

Pháo binh – tên lửa Việt Nam: Từ duyệt binh 1955 đến diễu binh 2025- Ảnh 3. — 85mm artillery on parade on May 1, 1973

During the parade to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 1985) held on the morning of September 2, 1985 at Ba Dinh Square, ground artillery and artillery vehicles also participated in the ceremony. This was also the first time that artillery fired salutes.

Pháo binh – tên lửa Việt Nam: Từ duyệt binh 1955 đến diễu binh 2025- Ảnh 4. — BM-21 rocket artillery of the Artillery Corps participated in the parade on September 2, 1985

From 1985 to present, the celebratory activities on major holidays (1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi, 2010; 70 years of National Day, 2015; 70 years of Dien Bien Phu victory, 2024; 50 years of national reunification, 2025) of the artillery troops have only stopped at the task of training and carrying out the firing of ceremonial fireworks to celebrate the event...

Establishment of Artillery - Missile Command

On the afternoon of August 20, in Hanoi, General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defense, chaired the ceremony to announce the decision to establish the Artillery - Missile Command.

Speaking at the ceremony, General Nguyen Tan Cuong emphasized that the establishment of the Artillery - Missile Command demonstrates the new thinking and new vision of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission on adjusting the organization of the army's forces, increasingly better meeting the requirements of the cause of building, strengthening national defense and protecting the Fatherland in the current period.

The Artillery and Missile Command is organized and built in a streamlined, strong, and modern direction; the scale, force organization, functions, and tasks are supplemented and heavier; it is equipped with many types of modern weapons and vehicles, with a wider strategic deployment.

Pháo binh – tên lửa Việt Nam: Từ duyệt binh 1955 đến diễu binh 2025- Ảnh 5. — General Nguyen Tan Cuong (right) presents the Quyet Thang Military Flag to the Artillery - Missile Command.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong noted that the Artillery - Missile Command should continue to do a good job of strategic staff work with the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense on the strategic deployment of artillery and missile units in the entire army, especially newly established units; promptly supplement and perfect combat plans, strictly maintain regular order, discipline, regimes and regulations of the unit, and high combat readiness; continue basic, synchronous, in-depth training, close to actual combat, attach importance to practical training, combined with imparting combat experience to troops, deeply and carefully study the use of artillery and missiles in recent conflicts to include in training, education and training...

The Commander of the Artillery and Missile Command is Major General Nguyen Hong Phong.

On September 2, for the first time, the Artillery and Missile Command will bring many weapons and equipment to participate in the parade, such as: 130 mm M46 howitzers; improved SU-122 and SU-152 self-propelled artillery vehicles; improved BM-21 Grand rocket artillery; R-17E (Scud-B) surface-to-surface missiles mounted on launchers, with an improved range of about 500 km...