The (QLVNCH), in English almost always called the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces (RVNAF)Lt. Gen. Dong Van Khuyen, The RVNAF (U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1980). Lt. Gen. Dong Van Khuyen, RVNAF Logistics (U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1985), p. 459. Lt. Gen. Ngo Quang Truong, RVNAF and US Operational Cooperation and Coordination (U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1980), p. 187. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, vol. 1, p. XX; Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, vol. 6, p. XXVIII; Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, vol. 6, p. XXV; Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, vol. 9. Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, Hanoi's War (University of North Carolina Press, 2012), p. xiv. Graham A. Cosmas, MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Escalation, 1962-1967 (US Army Center of Military History, 2006), p. 510. Graham A. Cosmas, MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Withdrawal, 1968-1973 (US Army Center of Military History, 2007), p. 444. Edward J. Marolda, By Sea, Air, and Land: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy and the War in Southeast Asia (Naval Historical Center, 1995), p. 395. General Cao Van Vien, The Final Collapse (U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1985), p. 167. Major Gary L. Telfer, Lt. Col. Lane Rogers, and V. Keith Fleming, Jr., U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1967 (U.S. Marine Corps History and Museums Division, 1984), p. 290. Major Charles D. Melson and Lt. Col. Curtis G. Arnold, U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The War that Would Not End, 1971-1973 (U.S. Marine Corps History and Museums Division, 1991), p. 282. George J. Veith, Drawn Swords in a Distant Land: South Vietnam's Shattered Dreams (Encounter Books, 2021), p. xii. Bernard C. Nalty, Air War over South Vietnam, 1968-1975 (Air Force History and Museums Program, 2000), p. 494. John Schlight, The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: The War in South Vietnam: The Years of the Offensive, 1965-1968 (Office of Air Force History, 1988), p. 381. Robert F. Futrell, The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: The Advisory Years to 1965 (Office of Air Force History, 1981), p. 341. James Willbanks, Abandoning Vietnam (University Press of Kansas, 2004), p. 22. Carl Berger, ed., The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973, rev. ed. (Office of Air Force History, 1984), p. 371. Jeffrey Grey, Up Top: The Royal Australian Navy and Southeast Asian Conflicts 1955-1972 (Allen & Unwin, 1998), p. xvi. were the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam and were responsible for the defence of the country from 8 December 1950 to 30 April 1975. Its predecessor, the Vietnamese National Army, was the armed forces of the State of Vietnam (formed in 1949), before it became a republic in 1955. The Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Day was celebrated on June 19 every year from 1965 onward.
Branches The QLVNCH (RVNAF) was established on 26 October 1955 when the State of Vietnam became a republic after a rigged referendum.Rottman and Bujeiro, Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1955-75 (2010), p. 7. Created out from ex-French Union Army colonial Indochinese auxiliary units (French: Supplétifs), gathered earlier on 8 December 1950 into the Vietnamese National Army or VNA (Vietnamese: Quân Đội Quốc Gia Việt Nam – QĐQGVN), Armée Nationale Vietnamiènne (ANV) in French, when France and Vietnam signed an agreement on 8 December 1950. The treaty was based on the Franco-Vietnamese Summit in Đà Lạt on November 5, the conference estimated that within five years, the Vietnamese armed forces would consist of 115,000 men, with military equipment and weapons provided by the United States. In the first phase, France would lend officers to Vietnam, and the costs would be covered by U.S. aid and the Vietnamese budget. Although Vietnam as the State of Vietnam gained independence from France in 1949, its army was still controlled by the French until Vietnam's full independence was recognized on 4 June 1954.The Pentagon Papers Gravel Edition Volume 1, Chapter 5, "Origins of the Insurgency in South Vietnam, 1954-1960" (Boston: Beacon Press, 1971) Trích: "France, as the third party in Vietnam, then became pivotal to any political settlement, its executor for the West. But France had agreed to full independence for the GVN on ngày 4 tháng 6 năm 1954, nearly six weeks before the end of the Geneva Conference. By the terms of that June agreement, the GVN assumed responsibility for international contracts previously made on its behalf by France; but, there having been no reference to subsequent contracts, it was technically free of the Geneva Agreements. It has been argued to the contrary that the GVN was bound by Geneva because it possessed at the time few of the attributes of full sovereignty, and especially because it was dependent on France for defense." The armed forces of the new state consisted in the mid-1950s of ground, air, and naval branches of service, respectively, the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Day is also celebrated (mostly by the overseas Vietnamese people) every year on 19 June.
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) Republic of Vietnam Navy including Marine Corps
Their roles were defined as follows: to protect the sovereignty of the Vietnamese nation and that of the Republic; to maintain the political and social order and the rule of law; to defend the newly independent Republic of Vietnam from external (and internal) threats; and ultimately, to help reunify Vietnam – divided since the Geneva Accords in July 1954 into two transitional states, one at the north ruled by Ho Chi Minh and the other in the south under Ngô Đình Diệm's authoritarian regime.
Command structure
Regional commands
The Republic of Vietnam Military Forces consisted of four military corps (Quân đoàn) as follows:
I Corps headquartered in Da Nang, included five provinces: Tactical zone 11, including 2 provinces Quang Tri and Thua Thien Tactical zone 12, including 2 provinces Quang Tin and Quang Ngai Quang Nam Special Zone, including Quang Nam Province and Da Nang City
II Corps headquartered in Nha Trang, but the 2nd Army Corps Command is located in Pleiku (had to move to Nha Trang from mid-March 1975), included 12 provinces: Tactical Zone 22, including 3 provinces Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Phu Bon Tactical Zone 23, including 7 provinces Darlac, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Tuyen Duc, Quang Duc, Lam Dong and Cam Ranh city Special area 24, including 2 provinces Kon Tum and Pleiku
III Corps headquartered in Bien Hoa, include 10 provinces: Tactical Zone 31, including 3 provinces Tay Ninh, Hau Nghia, Long An Tactical zone 32, including 3 provinces Phuoc Long, Binh Long, Binh Duong Tactical Zone 33, including 4 provinces Binh Tuy, Phuoc Tuy, Long Khanh, Bien Hoa and Vung Tau city Capital Military District of Saigon - Gia Dinh
IV Corps headquartered in Can Tho, included 16 provinces: Dinh Tuong tactical zone, including 4 provinces Kien Tuong, Dinh Tuong, Go Cong, Kien Hoa Tactical Zone 41, including 7 provinces Kien Phong, Chau Doc, Vinh Long, Vinh Binh, An Giang, Kien Giang, Sa Dec Tactical Zone 42, including 5 provinces Phong Dinh, Chuong Thien, Ba Xuyen, Bac Lieu, An Xuyen
On July 1, 1970, the four Corps were redesignated as Corps Tactical Zones (CTZs).
Criticism The ARVN always had problems keeping men in the ranks, but during 1973–75, the problem reached epidemic proportions. During 1974, for example, only 65 percent of authorized manpower was present for duty at any time.Lipsman and Weiss, p. 149. The nation's officer corps still suffered from the promotion and retention of generals due to their political loyalties, not their professional abilities. Corruption and incompetence among officers was endemic, with some "raising it almost to an art form."Willbanks, p. 205. To mollify his critics, President Thiệu sacked the II and IV Corps commanders, Generals Nguyễn Văn Toàn and Nguyễn Vĩnh Nghi, both Thiệu loyalists notorious for corruption. Unfortunately, both men were also proven leaders, popular with their troops, and versatile on the battlefield. Dougan and Fulghum, p. 26.
In 1972, General Creighton Abrams fumed at ARVN complaints that they lacked arms and equipment. He said: “The ARVN haven’t lost their tanks because the enemy tanks knocked them out. The ARVN lost their tanks because goddamn it, they abandoned them. And, shit, if they had the Josef Stalin 3 [tank], it wouldn’t have been any better.” He likewise harangued President Nguyen Van Thieu and chief of staff General Cao Van Vien: “Equipment is not what you need. You need men that will fight... You’ve got all the equipment you need... You lost most of your artillery because it was abandoned.”Vietnam; An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975. Max Hastings, 2018. P 524-525
Leadership First Republic (1955-1963) President - Supreme Commander-in-chief : Ngo Dinh Diem
Director-General of the Ministry of National Defense (1955-1961)Minister of National Defense (1961-1963) : Ngo Dinh Diem
Minister of Advisor for the Defense Ministry : (1955–1961) Nguyễn Đình Thuần (1961–1963)
Chief of the Joint General Staff : Army general Lê Văn Tỵ (1955–1962) Lieutenant general Trần Thiện Khiêm (1962–1963) (acting) Major general Trần Văn Đôn (1963)
Military junta (1963-1967) Chief of State - Supreme Commander-in-chief : Lieutenant general Dương Văn Minh (1963–1964) - Chairman of the Military Revolutionary Council Lieutenant general Nguyễn Khánh (1964) - Chairman of the Military Revolutionary Council Lieutenant general Dương Văn Minh (1964) - Chief of State Phan Khắc Sửu (1964–1965) - Chief of State Lieutenant general Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1965–1967) - Chairman of National Leadership Committee
Commander-in-chief Army general Trần Thiện Khiêm (1964) Army general Nguyễn Khánh (1964–1965) Lieutenant general Trần Văn Minh (1965)
Minister of National Defense : Lieutenant general Trần Văn Đôn (1963–1964) Army general Trần Thiện Khiêm (1964) Army general Nguyễn Khánh (1964) Prime Minister Trần Văn Hương (1964–1965) Lieutenant general Trần Văn Minh (1965) Lieutenant general Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1965) Lieutenant general Nguyễn Hữu Có (1965)
Chief of the Joint General Staff : Lieutenant general Trần Văn Đôn (1963–1964) Lieutenant general Lê Văn Kim (5-30 January 1964) Lieutenant general Nguyễn Khánh (1964) Lieutenant general Trần Thiện Khiêm (1964) Lieutenant general Nguyễn Khánh (1964–1965) Lieutenant general Trần Văn Minh (1965) Lieutenant general Nguyễn Hữu Có (1965) Army general Cao Văn Viên (1965–1967)
Second Republic (1967-1975) President - Supreme Commander-in-chief : Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1967–1975) Trần Văn Hương (1975) Dương Văn Minh (1975)
Minister of National Defense : Lieutenant general Nguyễn Hữu Có (1967) Army general Cao Văn Viên (1967) Lieutenant general Nguyễn Văn Vỹ (1967–1972) Army general, Prime Minister Trần Thiện Khiêm (1972–1975) Lieutenant general Trần Văn Đôn (1975)
Chief of the Joint General Staff : Army general Cao Văn Viên (1967–1975) Lieutenant general (27-28 April 1975) Lieutenant general Vĩnh Lộc (28- morning 30 April 1975) Brigadier general Nguyễn Hữu Hạnh (30 April 1975)
Notable commanders Army Trần Văn Đôn Lê Văn Tỵ Nguyễn Phước Vĩnh Lộc Phạm Văn Phú Nguyễn Khoa Nam Lê Văn Hưng Lê Nguyên Vỹ Nguyễn Văn Thiệu Đỗ Mậu Dương Văn Minh Lê Minh Đảo Ngô Quang Trưởng Cao Văn Viên Trần Thiện Khiêm Trần Văn Minh Đỗ Cao Trí Phạm Xuân Chiểu Tôn Thất Đính Lê Văn Kim Nguyễn Hữu Có Nguyễn Chánh Thi Lê Nguyên Khang Hoàng Xuân Lãm Nguyễn Văn Vy Ngô Du Dư Quốc Đống Nguyễn Viết Thanh Nguyễn Văn Minh Nguyễn Văn Hiếu Huỳnh Văn Cao Phạm Văn Đổng Trần Văn Hai Nguyễn Ngọc Loan Trần Quang Khôi Nguyễn Hữu Hạnh Đặng Văn Quang Lữ Mộng Lan
Air Force Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Trần Văn Minh Nguyễn Xuân Vinh Lưu Kim Cương Nguyễn Ngọc Loan Nguyễn Khánh
Navy Lâm Ngươn Tánh Chung Tấn Cang Trần Văn Chơn Cao Văn Viên