Vietnamese People's Army

People's Army of Vietnam
Quân đội Nhân dân Việt Nam
Flag of Vietnam People's Army. Slogan translates as "Determined to win."
Founded	22 December 1944; 72 years ago (1944-12-22)
Service branches	Ground Forces Navy Air Force Border Defence Force Coast Guard
Headquarters	Hanoi, Vietnam
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief (de jure) Commander (de facto)	President Trần Đại Quang General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng
Minister of Defence	General Ngô Xuân Lịch
Chief of Staff	Lieutenant General Phan Văn Giang
Manpower
Military age	18–25 years old (18–27 for those who attend colleges or universities)
Conscription	24 months for all able-bodied men
Active personnel	482,000 active
Reserve personnel	3,000,000 reserve
Expenditures
Budget	US $7.8 billion (Military Balance 2013)
Percent of GDP	5% (2013 est.)
Industry
Domestic suppliers	Viettel Mobile Z111 Factory Hong Ha shipbuilding company (Z173) 189 Shipbuilding Company (Z189) Song Thu Shipbuilding Company (Z124) Service Flight Corporation Group 559 15
Foreign suppliers	Russia  Bulgaria  France  Belarus  Serbia  Germany  Japan  Netherlands  Israel  Portugal  Ukraine  Spain  Romania  Italy  Sweden  Turkey  South Korea  United States  India  Poland  United Kingdom Former:  Soviet Union
Related articles
History	Military history of Vietnam World War II (Anti-Japanese Campaign 1944–1945) First Indochina War (Against France and French-sponsored local forces, 1946–1954) Second Indochina War (Vietnam War) (Against the United States and South Vietnamese forces, 1954–1975) Cambodian–Vietnamese War (Against the Khmer Rouge, 1977–1989) Sino-Vietnamese War (Against China, 1979) Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts (border clashes with China, 1979–1990) Vietnamese border raids in Thailand (Against the Khmer Rouge insurgents and Thailand, 1979–1989) Thai–Laotian Border War (Against Thailand to defend its ally, Laos, 1987–1988) Clashes in Cambodia (Against the co-premier Norodom Ranariddh and the Khmer Rouge, 1997) Insurgency in Laos (secret war in Laos against Hmong separatists, 1975–present) War against rebellions 1975–1992 (against FULRO and several insurgent groups)
Ranks	Vietnamese military ranks and insignia

Viettel Mobile
Z111 Factory
Hong Ha shipbuilding company (Z173)

Military history of Vietnam

The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; Vietnamese: Quân Đội Nhân Dân Việt Nam), also known as the Vietnamese People's Army, is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The PAVN is a part of Vietnam People's Armed Forces and includes: Ground Force (including Strategic Rear Forces), Navy, Air Force, Border Defence Force, and Coast Guard. However, Vietnam does not have a specific separate Ground Force or Army branch. All ground troops, army corps, military districts and specialised arms belong to the Ministry of Defence, directly under command of the Central Military Commission, Minister of Defence, and General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army. The military flag of the PAVN is the flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with the words Quyết thắng (Determination to win) added in yellow at the top left.

During the French Indochina War (1946–1954), the PAVN was often referred to as the Việt Minh. In the context of the Vietnam War (1959–1975), the army was referred to as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). This allowed writers, the US military, and the general public, to distinguish northern communists from the southern communists, or Viet Cong. However, both groups ultimately worked under the same command structure. According to Hanoi's official history, the Viet Cong was a branch of the VPA. In 2010 the PAVN undertook the role of leading the 1,000th Anniversary Parade in Hanoi by performing their biggest parade in history.