Viet Cong
The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), was a communist army based in South Vietnam that fought against the governments of South Vietnam and the United States during the Vietnam War (1955-75). The group is better known as the Viet Cong (Việt Cộng) or V.C., short for "Vietnamese Communist." American soldiers called the Vietnamese communist forces Charlie (which is the letter "C" in the NATO phonetic alphabet),[1] whether North Vietnamese or Viet Cong.
The group was made up of people from both South and North Vietnam. Most of the people in the group were communists but some members were not communists, but the main leaders were. The Viet Cong used guerilla warfare, including terrorist bombings, assassinations, and ambushes. The group is best known for the Tet Offensive, a surprise attack on many South Vietnamese cities that began in January 1968 during Tet, or the Vietnamese New Year. The group was closely allied with the government of North Vietnam, which conquered the South in 1975.
According to Re-thinking Camelot (Noam Chomsky 1993), the NLF resistance was in part the result of terror that was inflicted by the government of South Vietnam, which was backed and guided by the US, while the NLF was peacefully awaiting the national elections that had been promised by the Geneva Accords of 1954.
Some, however, accuse Chomsky of minimizing the communists' atrocities and of exaggerating those of their opponents.
History
After the Geneva Agreement, Vietnam was temporarily divided into two regions. The people of the North and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam resolutely fought for the implementation of the Geneva Agreements in order to achieve peaceful reunification of Vietnam.[2]
Viet Cong Media
Soldiers and civilians took supplies south on the Ho Chi Minh trail (1959)
Brinks Hotel, Saigon, following a Viet Cong bombing on December 24, 1964. Two American officers were killed.
A U.S. Air Force Douglas Skyraider drops a white phosphorus bomb on a Viet Cong position in South Vietnam in 1966.
Viet Cong soldier stands beneath a Viet Cong flag with an AK-47 rifle.
A U.S. propaganda leaflet urges Viet Cong to defect using the Chiêu Hồi Program.
Viet Cong soldiers carry an injured American POW to a prisoner swap in 1973. The VC uniform was a floppy jungle hat, rubber sandals, and green fatigues without rank or insignia.
References
- ↑ "Why the Viet Cong Were Called "Charlie"". Today I Found Out. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ↑ "Mặt trận Dân tộc Giải phóng miền Nam Việt Nam thành lập". dangcongsan.vn. Retrieved 2023-09-05.