Konrad Gołota, a deputy minister for state assets, told Poland's PAP news agency that arms deals were sought by Poland's state-owned PGZ defence group and other producers.
He said Polish business representatives have visited Vietnam five times over the past two years, while a Vietnamese delegation attended the defence industry exhibition in the Polish city of Kielce.
Gołota, who is accompanying Prime Minister Donald Tusk on a visit to Vietnam, said Poland is also offering components for communications and electronic systems installed on combat platforms.
Private defence firm WB Group is also seeking to sell arms to Vietnam, according to PAP.
Gołota noted that Vietnam has traditionally relied on Russian-made weapons.
"On the one hand, the presence of Russian producers here is quite significant. On the other hand, because of the sanctions, Vietnam is looking to diversify," he said.
He added that Israeli, French and US companies have a strong presence on the Vietnamese market, while Poland's advantage lies in its expertise in modernising Soviet-era equipment.
According to Gołota, the talks cover three possible forms of cooperation: direct sales, transferring part of production and technology to Vietnam, and maintenance and modernisation services.
Gołota said it was too early to give an estimated value for potential orders. He added that Vietnam typically starts with smaller contracts that can expand if the equipment proves successful.
The two governments are expected to announce more details on Monday, while commercial agreements could be signed in December, according to Gołota.
"In December, we want to show concrete contracts," Gołota said, adding that this could take place during a defence industry exhibition scheduled to be held in Vietnam that month.
In coastal defence, Poland could offer radar and coastal surveillance systems developed under the Digital Baltic programme, among other products, he said.
Stocznia Wojenna, a Polish naval shipyard, is conducting an initial assessment of ways to export rescue vessels and mine countermeasure ships based on the Kormoran design to Vietnam, Gołota said.
The two governments are also discussing maintenance services for Vietnam's air force, he added.
He said facilities in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz could service transport aircraft, including C-130s, as well as Soviet-designed aircraft, including Su-family planes.
He said, however, that Vietnam would have to provide the necessary spare parts.
Polish government spokesman Adam Szłapka said on Saturday that Poland hopes to strengthen economic ties with Vietnam, which could give Polish companies greater access to markets across Southeast Asia.
Szłapka was speaking in the city of Da Nang, where Tusk arrived on a visit accompanied by representatives of Polish companies.
"Vietnam is a very large market, and Poland, as well as the European Union as a whole, need business partners," Szłapka told reporters.
The main part of Tusk's visit to Vietnam is scheduled for Monday in Hanoi. The Polish prime minister will lay wreaths at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before being officially welcomed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Tusk is also expected to hold talks with Vietnamese President Tô Lâm and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man.
(gs)
Source: IAR/PAP