the viet cong

• Asymmetric warfare


  The opposite of symmetrical or lopsided, e.g. a big army versus a small army or the forces of the United States versus the Viet Cong
• Guerrilla warfare


  A tactic that helps a small army attack and hurt a supposedly more powerful army
• ARVIN


  The South Vietnamese Army or the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
• Viet Cong


  The communist guerrillas in South Vietnam, also known as the NLF or the National Liberation Front
• Ho Chi Minh Trail


  A road named after Ho Chi Minh of the North Vietnamese, used by the North Vietnamese Army to supply troops and the Viet Cong in South Vietnam
• The Viet Cong existed because the average Vietnamese village dweller was unhappy with the Diem regime, which was seen as corrupt, controlled by the USA, and looking down on villagers
• Differences between ARVIN and the Viet Cong

  • ARVIN had standard issue USA-made uniform and weapons
  • Viet Cong used civilian clothing to blend in
  • ARVIN was supported by US-built and flown helicopters and later by Operation Farm Gate CIA airstrikes
  • Viet Cong used Chinese or Russian-made weapons supplied along the Ho Chi Minh Trail
  • Viet Cong knew the landscape well and could escape easily
  • ARVIN struggled to deal with guerrilla tactics
  • Viet Cong favoured hit-and-run tactics and ambushes
  • Viet Cong set booby traps
  • Viet Cong could live in tunnel hideouts
• The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a network of routes passing through Laos, Cambodia, and into South Vietnam, used to supply the Viet Cong with people, weapons, ammunition, and other equipment
• Viet Cong


  • Provided political leadership structure through the NLF
  • Organised into quick-acting, disappearing three-man cells
  • Won local support through propaganda, social reforms, and living with villagers
  • Appealed to Vietnamese people with ideas of fighting the USA and its puppet government, ending injustice and poverty, and uniting Vietnam under a fair (communist) government
  • Had time on their side as it was their country
• The South Vietnamese government was seen as a puppet of the USA, was split by infighting, and was not focused on beating the Viet Cong
• The Viet Cong were supported by foreign aid from communist China and the USSR, which provided weapons, advisors, and troops