GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Head-to-head

Military Strength: Flag of Cambodia Cambodia vs Flag of Vietnam Vietnam

Vietnam (ranked #20 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Cambodia (#72) on the ATLAS Index. Vietnam fields 450,000 active troops — 3.6:1 Cambodia's 124,300, backed by 5,000,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Vietnam's $8.6B defense budget is 12:1 that of Cambodia ($0.7B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Cambodia CambodiaWorld #72 22.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Vietnam leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Vietnam VietnamWorld #20 43.2
  • 43.8124K active troops Manpower10 % 99.5450K active troops
  • 36.1559 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 49.71,379 battle tanks
  • 18.917 warships Naval power20 % 44.886 warships
  • 15.80 combat aircraft Air power25 % 31.470 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 16.6$695M budget Defense budget15 % 39.8$8.6B budget
Cambodia Vietnam Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Cambodia Vietnam Ratio
Defense budget $695M $8.6B 🇻🇳 12×
– share of GDP 1.5% 1.8% 🇻🇳 1.2×
Active personnel 124,300 450,000 🇻🇳 3.6×
Combat aircraft 0 70 🇻🇳
Warships 17 86 🇻🇳 5.1×
– submarines 0 6 🇻🇳
Main battle tanks 559 1,379 🇻🇳 2.5×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 5,000,000 🇻🇳
Paramilitary forces 67,000 40,000 🇰🇭 1.7×
Military aircraft (all types) 29 216 🇻🇳 7.4×
– helicopters 25 42 🇻🇳 1.7×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $39 $84 🇻🇳 2.2×
Population 17.8M 101.6M 🇻🇳 5.7×
GDP $51B $515B 🇻🇳 10×
GDP per capita $2,872 $5,066 🇻🇳 1.8×
Land area 176,515 km² 310,070 km² 🇻🇳 1.8×
Coastline 443 km 3,444 km 🇻🇳 7.8×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇰🇭 CambodiaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
🇻🇳 VietnamSu-30 Flanker-C ×35T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,200Improved Kilo-class ×6
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Air forces Navies Armies Ranks & insignia
Change opponent
Cambodia vsTurkmenistanUzbekistanSri LankaLebanonBahrain
Vietnam vsChinaNorth KoreaIndonesiaTaiwanIran
Related comparisons & rankings
Strongest militaries in the world (2026) Coalition Builder: compare alliances & blocs

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Cambodia or Vietnam?
Vietnam has approximately 450,000 active military personnel compared to Cambodia's 124,300, giving Vietnam a 3.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Cambodia or Vietnam?
Vietnam operates 70 combat aircraft compared to Cambodia's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Cambodia or Vietnam?
Vietnam has a larger navy with 86 warships compared to Cambodia's 17. Cambodia operates 0 submarines while Vietnam has 6.
Which country spends more on defense, Cambodia or Vietnam?
Vietnam has a larger defense budget at $8.6 billion (12:1 more) compared to Cambodia's $695 million annually.
Do Cambodia and Vietnam have nuclear weapons?
Neither Cambodia nor Vietnam currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Cambodia and Vietnam compare?
Vietnam operates 1,379 main battle tanks compared to Cambodia's 559. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.