Welcoming Spring Victory

During the French Indochina War (1946–1954), the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) 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 Vietcong was a branch of the VPA.[3] In 2010 the Vietnam People’s Army undertook the role of leading the 1,000th Anniversary Parade in Hanoi by performing their biggest parade in Vietnam’s history.