HANOI -- Vietnam is set to kick off its first international exhibition of defense equipment on Thursday, as it moves away from an overreliance on Russia for arms as the supplier becomes increasingly isolated internationally since it invaded Ukraine in February.

Hosted by the country's defense ministry, the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022 starts Thursday at Gia Lam Airport, a military airstrip in Hanoi, with about 170 exhibitors from 30 countries, and will end on Saturday. The event was originally planned for 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID pandemic. The government plans to run the event every two years.