Defense firms from 27 countries, including first-timers China and Iran, will join Vietnam's December arms expo, bringing together rivals Israel and Iran despite recent conflicts and sanctions.

In a rare instance of geopolitical enemies showcasing their goods together, Vietnam's defense ministry said Tuesday that companies from Iran, Israel, China, Russia, and the United States will display military equipment at an arms exhibition in Hanoi in December.

Communist-controlled Vietnam has spoken about possible procurement agreements with other nations in an effort to take advantage of its adaptable diplomacy of positive ties with large powers. Vietnam has been looking to diversify its military supplies for years in an effort to lessen its ten-year dependency on Russia.

Nearly 200 businesses from 27 nations have already secured stalls at the defense expo, which will take place in the capital Hanoi from December 19 to 22, according to a statement from the ministry. These businesses include enterprises from China and Iran that did not attend Vietnam's first international military exposition in 2022.

Israeli and Iranian defense industries, which have attacked each other with missiles and airstrikes in the last year, will be gathered at the exhibition. Despite being under widespread Western sanctions, Iran will attend.

Israeli defense companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems were among the exhibitors at the most recent edition in 2022.

A complete list of attendees has not yet been made public by Vietnam's defense ministry, and it is unclear what weapons will be on show. Sometimes, businesses just display replicas of their larger weaponry.

On the sidelines of a news briefing announcing the exhibition on Tuesday, Le Quang Tuyen, deputy chairman of the defense industry department, said that China's state-owned defense company Norinco Group, which is under U.S. sanctions, will be attending.

According to Tuyen, U.S. firms Boeing and Lockheed Martin will also have displays in the same spacious show space at a military airfield on the outskirts of Hanoi.