Vietnam was the world’s eighth-largest arms importer from 2011-2015, leaping from 43rd place in the previous five-year period

MANILA—Rising tensions in the South China Sea have turned Vietnam into one of the world’s most active arms importers, with Hanoi buying more weaponry than wealthy neighbors South Korea and Singapore as it tries to counter China’s increasingly aggressive territorial claims.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/vietnam-adds-military-muscle-as-south-china-sea-tensions-escalate-1456095603