People's Army of Vietnam

The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; Vietnamese: Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, lit.'Military of and for the people of Vietnam'), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (Vietnamese: Quân đội Việt Nam, lit.'Military of Vietnam') or the People's Army (Vietnamese: Quân đội Nhân dân), is the national military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed wing of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The PAVN is a part of the Vietnam People's Armed Forces and includes: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard and Coast Guard. Vietnam does not have a separate Ground Force or Army service. All ground troops, army corps, military districts and special forces belong to the Ministry of National Defence, directly under the command of the CPV Central Military Commission, the Minister of National Defence, and the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army. The military flag of the PAVN is the National flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam defaced with the motto Quyết thắng (Determination to win) added in yellow at the top left (or by the side of the flagpole).

Vietnam People's Army
Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam
Emblem
"Determined to win" military flag
MottoQuyết thắng ("Determined to win")
Founded22 December 1944 (1944-12-22)
Current formJuly 7, 1976 (1976-07-07) (formal unification of the NVA and the LASV)
Service branches
HeadquartersMinistry of National Defence, Number 7 Nguyễn Tri Phương road, Điện Biên Ba Đình, Hà Nội
WebsiteOfficial website
Leadership
Secretary of the Central Military Commission General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng
Commander-in-Chief President Võ Văn Thưởng
Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang
Chief of the General Staff Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Tân Cương
Director of the General Department of Political Affairs General Lương Cường
Personnel
Military age18–25 years old (18–27 for those who attend colleges or universities)
Conscription2 year 7 month
Active personnel600,000 (ranked 7th)
Reserve personnel5,000,000
Expenditures
BudgetUS$ 7.8 billion (2023)
Percent of GDP~1.6% (2023; projected)
Industry
Domestic suppliers
Foreign suppliers
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Vietnam
List of engagements
RanksMilitary ranks of Vietnam

During the French Indochina War (1946–1954), the PAVN was often referred to as the Việt Minh. In the context of the Vietnam War (1955–1975), the army was referred to by its opposition forces as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA; Vietnamese: Quân đội Bắc Việt), serving as the military force of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This allowed writers, the U.S. military, and the general public, to distinguish northern communists from the southern communists, called Viet Cong (VC), or more formally the National Liberation Front. However, both groups ultimately worked under the same command structure. The Viet Cong had its own military forces called the Liberation Army of South Vietnam (LASV). It was practically considered a branch of the PAVN by the North Vietnamese. In 1976, following the political reunification of Vietnam, LASV was officially disbanded and merged into the so-called NVA to form the existing incarnation of PAVN, serving as the national military of the unified state of Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

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