People's Army of Vietnam

This article is about combined military force of Vietnam. For "armed forces" of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam which consist of the Military (Army), Public Security (Police), and the Self-Defence Militia, see Vietnam People's Armed Forces. For similarly-named newspaper of this military force, see People's Army Newspaper.

Vietnam People's Army
Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam
Emblem
"Determined to win" military flag
MottoQuyết thắng ("Determined to win")
Founded22 December 1944; 79 years ago (1944-12-22)
Current formJuly 7, 1976; 48 years ago (1976-07-07) (formal unification of the NVA and the LASV)[1]
Service branches
HeadquartersMinistry of National Defence, Number 7 Nguyễn Tri Phương road, Điện Biên Ba Đình, Hà Nội
WebsiteOfficial website
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief President Lương Cường
Secretary of the Central Military Commission General Secretary Tô Lâm
Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang
Chief of the General Staff Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyễn Tân Cương
Director of the General Department of Political Affairs Sr. Lt. Gen. Trịnh Văn Quyết [vi]
Personnel
Military age18–25 years old (18–27 for those who attend colleges or universities)
Conscription2 year 7 month
Active personnel600,000[3] (ranked 7th)
Reserve personnel5,000,000[3]
Expenditure
BudgetUS$ 7.8 billion (2023)[4]
Percent of GDP~1.6% (2023; projected)[4]
Industry
Domestic suppliers
Foreign suppliers
Historical:
Modern:
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Vietnam
List of engagements
RanksMilitary ranks of Vietnam

The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA;[11] Vietnamese: Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, lit. 'Military of and for the people of Vietnam'[12]), 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 the backbone component 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 and formally-structured Ground Force or Army service. Instead, all ground troops, army corps, military districts and special forces are designated under the umbrella term combined arms (Vietnamese: binh chủng hợp thành) and are belonged 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).

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.[13] 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.[14]

  1. ^ "KỶ NIỆM 50 NĂM NGÀY THÀNH LẬP QUÂN GIẢI PHÓNG MIỀN NAM VIỆT NAM (15-2-1961 – 15-2-2011):Trang sử vàng của Quân Giải phóng miền Nam". Báo Đà Nẵng (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Scope of operation, working measures and international cooperation of the Vietnam Coast Guard". National Defence Journal. Ministry of Defence (Vietnam).[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b International Institute for Strategic Studies (3 February 2014). The Military Balance 2014. London: Routledge. pp. 287–289. ISBN 9781857437225.
  4. ^ a b "Resolution no. 70/2022/QH15 of the National Assembly on the Distribution of Central Budget of 2023". National Assembly of Vietnam. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "D&S 2019: Vietnam domestically upgrades T-54B tanks | Shephard". shephardmedia.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Song Thu Corporation Launches Third Vietnam People's Navy Roro 5612 Landing Ship". 2 July 2020.
  7. ^ Kobus. "Vietnam to make unmanned aircraft". zimbio.com. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  8. ^ "Defense mission works with Factory A32". en.qdnd.vn. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  9. ^ Wozniak, Jakub (20 October 2020). "Japan and Vietnam Reach Agreement on Arms Exports to Vietnam". Overt Defense.
  10. ^ "History – The Hmong". Cal.org. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  11. ^ "Vietnam People's Army". Ministry of National Defence.
  12. ^ "Ho Chi Minh's thought on building the Army with "politics being taken as the roots" – significance and practical values". National Defence Journal. Ministry of Defence (Vietnam). Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024. Ours is an army 'from the people, for the people, readily fighting and sacrificing for the independence of the Fatherland and nation, for the happiness of the people'
  13. ^ Military History Institute of Vietnam,(2002) Victory in Vietnam: The Official History of the People's Army of Vietnam, 1954–1975, translated by Merle L. Pribbenow. University Press of Kansas. p. 68. ISBN 0-7006-1175-4.
  14. ^ Diệu Linh. "Quân giải phóng miền Nam Việt Nam và những bài học lịch sử". VOV2 (in Vietnamese). Voice of Vietnam. Retrieved 18 December 2023.