The accident happened at noon in Yen Bai province and the 30-year-old pilot died while trying to land the Russian-made Su-22 jet at a local airport, the official Vietnam News Agency reported.
Vietnam's defence ministry has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident, it added.
Two pilots were killed in a similar exercise involving an Su-22 in central Vietnam in 2018, while two were forced to eject over the South China Sea in 2015 when their Su-22 jet went down.
Vietnam relies heavily on Russia for its military procurements, although it is seeking to diversify its equipment and arms suppliers.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Martin Petty)
