Delegations from the Foreign and Defence Ministries of the United States, Japan, Australia and India are invited for a meeting with their counterparts in Hanoi following a photo op aboard the HQ-272 gunboat, the first warship designed by Vietnam. While the ship itself is not particularly flashy, it represents the great potential our nation has for a thriving military industry in the future. Despite this bright note, we have very grave concerns we wish to discuss. As we’re sure you’re all aware, Chinese state media leaked this project to restart production of weapons-grade plutonium, which given Vietnam’s tense disputes over territorial borders in the South China Sea, is deeply threatening to our national security. This is why although our official position towards China is that of neutrality and cooperation in areas of shared interest, we have decided to engage your nations to deter potential aggression from Beijing. We would like to make it clear that this meeting is in no way affiliated with the Quad alliance, your nations are just close economic partners that share our desire for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and peace in the region. Having said that, here is what we propose:

Australia:

Your fleet of AP-3C Orions have been retired, and as such we are requesting the transfer of 6 of these planes rather than scrapping them, as well a $24 million software and hardware upgrade package to install modern radar and enable it to operate the latest Harpoon missiles. Furthermore, a unit of RAAF pilots and technicians familiar with the aircraft to train Vietnamese crews.

Furthermore, we urge Australia to suspend the export of uranium to China until it can be verified by the IAEA that weapons grade manufacturing has ceased. If this would cause undue stress on the Australian economy, we would be willing to negotiate a purchase order of Australian uranium for our planned nuclear power plants, which are hoped to contribute 10% of our electricity needs by 2030.

United States:

We request FMF for the purchase of 4 MQ-4C Tritons and their ground facilities to enhance our ability to monitor our EEZ and improve the effectiveness of anti-trafficking efforts. This will require US officers to train their Vietnamese counterparts in the operation of the equipment.

Furthermore, we request intelligence sharing on any further developments of Chinese plutonium production discovered by US surveillance and satellites.

India:

We’re inquiring into the possibility of purchasing 3 ground based Brahmos systems using part of the $500 million credit line India gave to Vietnam for the purchase of military equipment (only price I could find for a ground-based battery is $83 million, let me know if you have a better price).

For All Four Nations:

• Proposal for joint ASW exercises in the Pacific (to avoid provoking tensions in the South China Sea) to ensure Navy and Air Force assets can work in tandem to conduct these operations.

• Allowing Vietnamese officers to go on exchange to your respective officer training schools, ensuring our military is on the cutting edge of military tactics.

• Support for a condemnation of Chinese nuclear weapons production at the UNGA.