Z189 Shipyard

Z189 Shipyard is the public-facing and military designation of a Vietnamese state-owned shipbuilding and defense-manufacturing enterprise formally known as The 189 One Member LLC, or Company 189. It operates under the Ministry of National Defense and is associated with the General Department of Defence Industry. The shipyard is based in Hai An District, Hai Phong, one of Vietnam’s principal maritime and industrial centers. The organization traces its immediate institutional history to Xưởng 10B, or 10B Engineering Company, which belonged to Vietnam’s 3rd Military Region before January 1989. Its original responsibilities were considerably broader than ship construction alone. They included the construction and repair of watercraft, medium and major overhauls of construction machinery, the organization of land and water transport units, mining operations for coal and refractory stone, mechanical manufacturing, and the trading of mechanical materials. In 1989, the organization was established as Company 189, creating the institutional foundation for the modern shipyard. At the end of 2003, Company 189 was transferred from the command of Military Region 3 to the General Department of Defence Industry. This change placed the enterprise more directly within Vietnam’s central defense-industrial system. In April 2006, it was reorganized from an economic enterprise into a defense and security enterprise and received the military designation Z189 Factory. The names Company 189, 189 Shipbuilding Company, Z189 Factory, and Z189 Shipyard therefore describe overlapping legal, commercial, and military identities rather than unrelated organizations. A major development program began in 2005, when the Vietnamese defense establishment supported Phase I of a new shipbuilding and repair facility in Dong Hai 2 Ward, Hai An District, Hai Phong. The project covered approximately 35.4 hectares and was intended to expand the organization’s capacity for construction, repair, research, and defense production. The shipyard subsequently developed capabilities for technically demanding naval and government vessels, including long-endurance ships, maritime transport platforms, patrol vessels, hospital ships, search-and-rescue craft, and submarine-support vessels. Z189’s defense role includes domestic construction of military vessels with complex technical requirements, weapons and equipment systems, and extended at-sea operating capabilities. Its vessels support strategic and operational transport forces, maritime militia units, and other elements of Vietnam’s armed forces. The organization has also repaired hundreds of military vessels and has participated in the development or manufacture of military vehicles, precision mechanical products, high-technology defense equipment, and missile-launch-tube structures. The shipyard also pursues commercial and export-oriented work. Its reported portfolio includes specialized ships such as submarine rescue vessels, aviation training ships, crew supply ships, and other high-value maritime platforms. Reference material states that Z189 has built and exported specialized vessels to more than 40 countries, although the available material does not identify the individual countries, contract values, or export dates. Z189 is therefore best understood as a dual-purpose Vietnamese defense-industrial shipyard: its primary mission is national defense production and maintenance, while its specialized-vessel business provides an international and economically oriented complement.

Z189 Shipyard developed from Xưởng 10B, or 10B Engineering Company, an organization associated with Vietnam’s 3rd Military Region before 1989. Xưởng 10B had a mixed engineering and logistical mandate. It built and repaired watercraft, overhauled construction machinery, organized land and water transport units, conducted coal and refractory-stone mining operations, manufactured mechanical goods, and traded mechanical materials. In January 1989, the organization became Company 189, establishing the institutional predecessor of the present-day shipyard. During its early existence, the enterprise retained a broad engineering remit while gradually building a more specialized shipbuilding and ship-repair capability. Its later development was shaped by Vietnam’s effort to strengthen domestic defense production and reduce reliance on foreign construction and maintenance for important maritime assets. At the end of 2003, the Ministry of National Defense transferred Company 189 from Military Region 3 to the General Department of Defence Industry. This administrative change integrated the enterprise more closely into the central defense-industrial structure. In April 2006, Company 189 was reorganized as a defense and security enterprise and was formally assigned the military designation Z189 Factory. A new facility program was initiated in 2005. Phase I of the project established a shipbuilding and repair factory in Dong Hai 2 Ward, Hai An District, Hai Phong, on a site of approximately 35.4 hectares. The investment was supported by Vietnam’s central military and defense-industrial leadership and was intended to provide a stronger platform for ship construction, repair, research, and production. Following this expansion, Z189 concentrated on scientific and technical research, defense manufacturing, and the construction of increasingly complex vessels. Its reported domestic achievements include the first Vietnamese construction of several modern military vessel types equipped with sophisticated systems and designed for long endurance at sea. These vessels have served strategic and operational transport forces, maritime militia formations, and other military units. The shipyard has also repaired hundreds of military vessels and expanded into associated defense-manufacturing activities. These have included high-precision mechanical products, military equipment, armored-vehicle hull structures, final assembly of armored vehicles, and missile-launch-tube components. The available reference material identifies the XCB-01 and PTH-01 armored vehicles and structures for the VCM-01 missile system among these activities. In parallel with its defense assignments, Z189 has developed a specialized-vessel export business. Its reported products include submarine rescue vessels, aviation training ships, crew supply ships, and other high-value maritime platforms. Reference material states that vessels have been exported to more than 40 countries. No reliable source in the supplied material provides a complete export list, contract chronology, revenue data, or current production statistics, so the international business should be described by scope rather than by unsupported commercial measures. Z189 remains an active Vietnamese state-owned defense and shipbuilding enterprise. Its identity is expressed through several names: the legal-form name The 189 One Member LLC, the commercial name 189 Shipbuilding Company, and the military designation Z189 Factory or Z189 Shipyard. These names refer to the same core organization in the supplied reference material.

1. 2006Designated Z189 Factory

   In April 2006, the enterprise was restructured as a defense and security enterprise and received the military code designation Z189 Factory.

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2. 2005New Hai Phong shipbuilding and repair facility planned

   Phase I of a new shipbuilding and repair factory was launched in Dong Hai 2 Ward, Hai An District, Hai Phong, on a site of about 35.4 hectares.

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3. 2003Transferred to the General Department of Defence Industry

   At the end of 2003, Company 189 moved from Military Region 3 to the General Department of Defence Industry under the Ministry of National Defense.

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4. 1989Company 189 established

   The former Xưởng 10B, or 10B Engineering Company, was reorganized as Company 189, creating the institutional predecessor of Z189 Shipyard.

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A Vietnamese defense-industrial shipyard combining military vessel construction, ship repair, specialized commercial shipbuilding, export production, and related mechanical and defense manufacturing.

• Military and naval vesselsDefense shipbuilding

  Z189 constructs military vessels for Vietnam’s armed forces, including platforms intended for strategic and operational transport, maritime support, patrol, rescue, and other defense missions. The shipyard’s reported work includes technically complex vessels with integrated weapons and equipment systems and long-endurance capabilities at sea.

• DN2000 offshore patrol vessel classCoast guard vessel

  The DN2000 class is identified in the reference material as a Vietnam Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel class associated with Z189’s shipbuilding portfolio. It represents the shipyard’s role in domestic construction of large government and maritime-security platforms.

• Yết Kiêu (HQ-927)Submarine rescue ship

  Yết Kiêu, designated HQ-927, is identified as a submarine rescue vessel built by Z189. It belongs to the shipyard’s specialized naval work and illustrates its capability to construct complex support ships for underwater rescue and maritime defense operations.

• HQ-571Transport and logistics ship

  HQ-571 is listed among Z189’s built vessels as a transport and logistics ship. The platform reflects the shipyard’s role in supporting naval and military logistics through domestically produced maritime transport capacity.

• HQ-561Hospital ship

  HQ-561 is identified as a hospital ship in Z189’s vessel portfolio. Its inclusion demonstrates the shipyard’s work on specialized government vessels that combine maritime operations with medical and humanitarian support functions.

• SAR-631Search-and-rescue ship

  SAR-631 is listed as a search-and-rescue ship built by Z189. It forms part of the shipyard’s broader portfolio of maritime safety and emergency-response vessels.

• Submarine rescue vesselsSpecialized ship

  Z189 builds submarine rescue vessels for naval and maritime-support missions. The reference material presents these ships as part of the shipyard’s high-value specialized-vessel and export activities.

• Aviation training shipsTraining vessel

  Aviation training ships are among the specialized vessels attributed to Z189. These platforms support maritime aviation or aviation-related training requirements and are also described as part of the shipyard’s export-oriented production.

• Armored-vehicle structures and assemblyDefense manufacturing

  Beyond shipbuilding, Z189 manufactures hull structures and performs final assembly for armored vehicles used by the Vietnam People's Army. The reference material specifically associates this work with the XCB-01 and PTH-01 vehicle programs.

• VCM-01 missile-launch-tube structuresMissile-system component

  The factory also manufactures missile-launch-tube structures for the VCM-01 system. This activity extends its defense production beyond complete vessels into high-precision military equipment and structural components.

1. Z189 Shipyard