page_title: People's Army of Vietnam
section_title: Main force
hierarchical_section_title: People's Army of Vietnam / Service branches / Vietnam People's Ground Forces / Main force
caption_attribution_description: Tiếng Việt: Lễ duyệt binh kỷ niệm 34 năm giải phóng Trường SaEnglish: Vietnamese troops on Spratly Island
context_page_description: The People's Army of Vietnam, also known as the Vietnamese People's Army, is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The PAVN is a part of the Vietnam People's Armed Forces and includes: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Border Defence Force, Coast Guard, Cyberspace Operations, and Mausoleum Defence Force. However, Vietnam does not have a separate Ground Force or Army branch. All ground troops, army corps, military districts and specialised arms belong to the Ministry of Defence, directly under the command of the Central Military Commission, the Minister of Defence, and the 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 added in yellow at the top left.
  During the French Indochina War, the PAVN was often referred to as the Việt Minh. In the context of the Vietnam War, the army was referred to as the North Vietnamese Army. This allowed writers, the U.S. military, and the general public, to distinguish northern communists from the southern communists, called Viet Cong or National Liberation Front.
context_section_description: The Main Force of the PAVN consists of combat ready troops, as well as support units such as educational institutions for logistics, officer training, and technical training. In 1991, Conboy et al. stated that the PAVN Ground Force had four 'Strategic Army Corps' in the early 1990s, numbering 1–4, from north to south. 1st Corps, located in the Red River Delta region, consisted of the 308th (one of the six original 'Steel and Iron' divisions) and 312th Divisions, and the 309th Infantry Regiment. The other three corps, 2 SAC, 3 SAC, and 4 SAC, were further south, with 4th Corps, in Southern Vietnam, consisting of two former LASV divisions, the 7th and 9th.
  From 2014 to 2016, the IISS Military Balance attributed the Vietnamese ground forces with an estimated 412,000 personnel. Formations, according to the IISS, include 8 military regions, 4 corps headquarters, 1 special forces airborne brigade, 6 armoured brigades and 3 armoured regiments, two  mechanised infantry divisions, and 23 active infantry divisions plus another 9 reserve ones.
  Combat support formations include 13 artillery brigades and one artillery regiment, 11 air defence brigades, 10 engineers brigades, 1 electronic warfare unit, 3 signals brigades and 2 signals regiment.
  Combat service support formations include 9 economic construction divisions, 1 logistical regiment, 1 medical unit and 1 training regiment. Ross wrote in 1984 that economic construction division "are composed of regular troops that are fully trained and armed, and reportedly they are surbordinate to their own directorate in the Ministry of Defense. They have specific military missions; however, they are also entrusted with economic tasks such as food production or construction work. They are composed partially of older veterans." Ross also cited 1980s sources saying that economic construction divisions each had a strength of about 3,500.
  In 2017, the listing was amended, with the addition of a single Short-range ballistic missile brigade. The ground forces according to the IISS, hold Scud-B/C SRBMs.
  1st Corps – Binh đoàn Quyết thắng (Corps of the Determined Victory):
  First organised on 24 October 1973 during the Vietnam War, the 1st Corps had a major role in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign that ended the war. It is stationed in Tam Điệp District, Ninh Bình. The combat forces of the corps include:
  308th Division
  312th Infantry Division
  390th Division
  367th Air Defence Division
  202nd Tank Brigade
  45th Artillery Brigade
  299th Engineer Brigade
  2nd Corps – Binh đoàn Hương Giang (Corps of the Perfume River):
  First organised on 17 May 1974 during the Vietnam War, the 2nd Corps had a major role in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign that ended the war. Stationed in Lạng Giang District, Bắc Giang. The combat forces of the corps include:
  304th Division
  306th Infantry Division
  325th Division
  673rd Air Defence Division
  203rd Tank Brigade
  164th Artillery Brigade
  219th Engineer Brigade
  3rd Corps – Binh đoàn Tây Nguyên (Corps of the Central Highlands):
  First organised on 26 March 1975 during the Vietnam War, 3rd Corps had a major role in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign and the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Stationed in Pleiku, Gia Lai. The combat forces of the corps include:
  10th Infantry Division
  31st Infantry Division
  320th Infantry Division
  312th Air Defence Regiment
  273rd Tank Regiment
  675th Artillery Regiment
  198th  Commando Regiment
  29th Signal Regiment
  545th Engineer Regiment
  4th Corps – Binh đoàn Cửu Long (Corps of the Mekong):
  First organised 20 July 1974 during the Vietnam War, 4th Corps had a major role in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign and the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Stationed in Dĩ An, Bình Dương. The combat forces of the corps include:
  7th Infantry Division
  9th Infantry Division
  324th Infantry Division
  71st Air Defence Regiment
  24th Artillery Regiment
  429th Commando Regiment
  550th Engineer Regiment
caption: Vietnamese troops on Spratly Island
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