North Vietnam and Allied Armed Forces

This page provides links to Keever’s articles and photos about North Vietnamese troops and their allies. Keever did not cover all combatants equally and left Vietnam in 1968 before significant Cambodian and Laotian involvement, so not every combatant is listed here.

"Picture of Communist guerrilla weapons captured at a battle on Oct. 16, 1964 Cam-Lo, Quang Tri province." A group of Vietnamese soldiers stand around a table of weapons and artillery.

Captured Viet Cong weapons

Viet Cong

The Viet Cong, aka the National Liberation Front (NLF) for South Vietnam, was made up of pro-communist forces in South Vietnam. Viet Cong comes from a shortening Vietnam Cong (Vietnamese communist), and the group is often know as either VC or Charlie (from a shortening of call sign “Victor Charlie”) amongst American armed forces. The goal of the Viet Cong was to wage guerilla warfare against ARVN and U.S. forces, to foment revolution in the Vietnamese villages, and to eventually reunite Vietnam under Hanoi’s control. North Vietnam provided training and generally directed the activities of the Viet Cong.

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A young Vietnamese man (Le Phan Hung) sits in a chair, looking away from the camera. Behind him sits a man in uniform. A second uniformed man is only partially in the photograph.

A captured PAVN soldier, Le Phan Hung, 1964

People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), North Vietnam

In 1958, as it became increasingly clear that South Vietnam did not intend to follow the 1954 Geneva Accords, North Vietnam began to prepare for war. While the North Vietnamese government claimed that they were not in South Vietnam and that military actions were only being carried out by the Viet Cong, in reality PAVN troops were infiltrating into the South as early as 1959 and PAVN directed the Viet Cong’s activities. PAVN was also responsible for the defense of the North, especially in the use of anti-aircraft missiles against American jets.

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"During the week of 28 Apr., U.S. Forces fighting in this A Shau valley have captured various Soviet-built weapons and components from the North Vietnamese. The sophistication of these captured weapons and the fire power that they represent pose a definite increase in the threat to allied forces. In addition, the recovery of these items reflects the continued support of North Vietnam by the Soviet Union. Soviet 37mm anti-aircraft weapon. This captured weapon was designed in 1939 and probably manufactured around 1945. It is effective against aircraft to a maximum altitude of 19,000 feet and is manned by a crew of five." A gun in a storage room.

Captured Soviet 37mm anti-aircraft weapon

Soviet Union

While the Soviet Union was often pressuring North Vietnam behind the scenes to end the war, they were also one of North Vietnam’s most important allies. The Soviet Union sent weapons, radar equipment, tanks, and aircrafts. They also supplied training on how to use the weaponry. Most of Keever’s articles on Soviet involvement in the war are either speculation or reports of captured equipment.

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China

China was an early supporter of North Vietnam, and they supplied troops, weapons, and rations to PAVN starting in 1964. Chinese troops largely stayed in North Vietnam, training PAVN soldiers and defending against U.S. air strikes. In 1968, China was dealing with mounting troubles at home, including growing tensions with the Soviet Union and the failures of the cultural revolution. China began to decrease their support, although they wouldn’t completely pull all troops from Vietnam until the war ended in 1975.

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