North Vietnamese infiltration into the South began as far back as 1959, and by 1964 28,000 military
personnel had begun to reinforce the Viet Cong as a fighting force. Althoguh NVA forces accounted for
only a proportion of communist troops, eg 79,900 out of a total of some 300,000 in 1967, all operations
were masterminded by the brilliant Hanoi general, Vo Nguyen Giap. It was also Giap who organised the
massive channel of arms and supplies that flooded down the Ho Chi Minh trail.
As the war developed Giap devised 2 distinct kinds of tactics - small scale guerrilla attacks and large
assaults on vulnerable regions. The VC would lead the guerrilla warfare while their northern allies
would mount most of the main-force assualts. In spite of the massive build-up of US forces, Giap's astute
manoueveres maintained the initiative.
Once the US bombing of the North Vietnam had begun, the NVA recruit took little persuading that there
was an enemy who had to be fought.
CONDITIONS
The men needed all the morale they could muster to survive the journey down the Ho Chi Minh trail. Like
his southern equivalent in the Viet Cong, the NVA soldier lived a frugal existence, light on material
comforts and heavy on strenuous labour. The journey down the Trail was particularly nightmarish. They
also had to cope with the discovery that, rather than joining a popular uprising, they found themselves
hiding in the jungle to avoid pitched battles with American forces.
When NVA soldiers did come into contact with South Vietnamese, the experience could be disillusioning. The
guerrillas and the NVA could trade insults, based on differences of accents or habits, and even the
officers often failed to co-operate smoothly, chiefly because VC cadres resented newly arrived Northerners
assuming control of the struggle.
Once in combat, the North Vietnamese were outstanding soldiers. Their American enemies found them tenacious,
disciplined and courageous. Unlike the US soldier, the North Vietnamese trooper felt he had the whole world
of society behind him.
As the Hanoi leadership dictated, a clear sense of duty and purpose was transmitted down to the ordinary
soldier by his officers and political commissar. And the sense of purpose held up against the demoralising
This page was created and is maintained by Chris Hewitt
© 1997 hewittchris@hotmail.com
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