After April 30, 1975, the amount of spoils that the Vietnamese army obtained from the Saigon army was estimated at billions of dollars
enough to equip an entire modern army
And also these weapons have greatly contributed to the Vietnam People's Army
defeating the genocidal Khmer Rouge during the 1979 Southwest Border Protection War
Among these weapons can be mentioned types of fighters manufactured by the US
The Vietnam People's Air Force later used them on Cambodian battlefields
(the Vietnamese called the K battlefield)
typically the F-5E/F Tiger light fighter
According to unofficial sources, Vietnam has captured at least 40 F-5 light fighters with C/E /F variants
and reused them in the southwestern border defense war
Not only F-5 fighters, Vietnam also obtained American AIM-9 air-to-air missiles
In the Cambodian battlefield, these missiles were not used
Next was the A-37 Dragon light attack aircraft
These aircraft were used by the Vietnam People's Air Force
for extremely effective air support missions on the Cambodian battlefield
Vietnam also captured a number of C-130 heavy transport aircraft
This is a strategic transport aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of up to 70 tons
They served logistics during the years when Vietnamese volunteers were stationed in the Cambodian battlefield
In total, Vietnam owned about 7 C-130 transport aircraft after 1975
and to this day it is still the largest transport aircraft Vietnam ever owned
On the list of Vietnamese spoils are the CH-47 Chinook heavy transport helicopters
The People's Air Force of Vietnam operated 5 CH-47s, and so far all of them have retired
The UH-1 helicopter was the most used by the US and its allies during the Vietnam War
They were among the most captured by Vietnam.
The UH-1 was very suitable for the later Cambodian battlefield
It not only served for the loading but also had very good fire support capabilities
The Vietnam People's Air Force's UH-1 helicopters were equipped with a 6-barrel machine gun and rocket pods
according to the standards used by the US during the Vietnam War
Regarding armored vehicles, Vietnam captured a number of M48 Patton tanks
and were also used on the Cambodian battlefield
According to the documents, the M-48 Patton tanks were often used only for guard duty and as a reserve force
The most popular type of armored vehicle used by the US in Vietnam is the M113 armored personnel carrier
Vietnam also used a large number of these armor on the Cambodian battlefield with extremely good efficiency
Up to now, M113 continues to be in service with the Vietnamese army
These were considered the most valuable spoils
As of early 1975, in the payroll of the Saigon army, there were about 1,500 M113 units
After the victory in 1975, hundreds of vehicles were put into service with the Vietnamese armored force
In which many vehicles were still in good working condition
The M113s entered the battle with great efficiency in the southwestern border war in 1977-1979
At times it even overwhelmed the role of other armored vehicles made by the Soviet Union and China
Thanks to M113, the Vietnam People's Army quickly gained an overwhelming advantage over the Khmer Rouge
Currently, the M113 is still the key force in the Vietnamese armored army
In addition to the above weapons, Vietnam seized a series of other modern weapons and combat vehicles
including: M114 155mm and M2A1 105mm howitzers; LST-1, LCU-1466 landing ship
There was also a very large number of M16 rifles, AR-15s, M79 grenade launchers, and other heavy machine guns
By the 1990s, most of the weapons Vietnam obtained had difficulties in operation due to the lack of spare parts and components
The UH-1 helicopters, F-5, A-37, CH-47 aircraft, had to be shut down due to lack of spare parts
After the Vietnam-US normalization of relations, the chances of reviving US weapons became clearer
Currently, the UH-1 is being refurbished and modernized with the help of the US, which is being restored for civil and defense purposes
The M114 155mm and M2A1 105mm howitzers continues to be modernized
Up to now, it is still the main howitzers of the Vietnamese army.
The M16 rifle has also been modernized for continued use