Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in the context of "Nguyễn Văn Thiệu"

North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa, (Vietnamese pronunciation: [vîəˀt nāːm zʌ̄n cû kôŋ͡mˀ hwàː]; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty recognized in 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it opposed the French-supported State of Vietnam and later the Western-allied Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). North Vietnam launched a successful military offensive against South Vietnam in 1975 and ceased to exist the following year when it merged with the South to become the contemporary Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

During the August Revolution following World War II, Vietnamese communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh, leader of the Việt Minh Front, declared independence on 2 September 1945 and proclaimed the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The communist-led Viet Minh, cloaked in nationalism, was designed to appeal to a wider population than the Indochinese Communist Party could command.

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; Vietnamese: Việt Nam Cộng hòa, VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the associated State of Vietnam within the French Union, with its capital at Saigon. Since 1950, it was a member of the Western Bloc during the Cold War. Following the 1954 partition of Vietnam, it became known as South Vietnam and was established as a republic in 1955. Its sovereignty was recognized by the United States and 87 other nations, though it failed to gain admission into the United Nations as a result of a Soviet veto in 1957. It was succeeded by the Republic of South Vietnam in 1975. In 1976, the Republic of South Vietnam and North Vietnam merged to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The aftermath of World War II saw the communist-led Viet Minh, under Ho Chi Minh, seize power and proclaim the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in Hanoi in September 1945, initiating civil conflicts. In 1949, during the First Indochina War, the French and anti-communist nationalists established the State of Vietnam (SVN), led by former emperor Bảo Đại. Returning from exile in June 1954, Ngo Dinh Diem, recognized as the prominent anti-communist and anti-colonialist figure, was appointed prime minister of the SVN.

North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa (Vietnamese pronunciation: [vîəˀt nāːm zʌ̄n cû kôŋ͡mˀ hwàː]); VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty recognized in 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it opposed the French-supported State of Vietnam and later the Western-allied Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). North Vietnam launched a successful military offensive against South Vietnam in 1975 and ceased to exist the following year when it merged with the South to become the contemporary Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

During the August Revolution following World War II, Vietnamese communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh, leader of the Việt Minh Front, declared independence on 2 September 1945 and proclaimed the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The communist-led Viet Minh, cloaked in nationalism, was designed to appeal to a wider population than the Indochinese Communist Party could command.

The Liberation Army of South Vietnam (LASV; Vietnamese: Quân Giải phóng miền Nam Việt Nam; Chữ Hán: 軍解放沔南越南), also recognized as the Liberation Army (Quân Giải phóng - QGP or Giải phóng quân), was an irregular and regular military force established as the nominal armed wing of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (or Viet Cong - VC) by the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1961 in South Vietnam. It politically and ideologically operated as a part of the existing People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) of North Vietnam, having its name cosmestically the only official organization of communist-aligned armed forces to fought in South Vietnam. In 1962, the People's Revolutionary Party of South Vietnam separated from the Communist Party of Vietnam in terms of external appearance, openly directing the Liberation Army's military. Politically, the LASV was under the direction of the VC and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. The military forces although collectively known as the Liberation Army of South Vietnam, still use the unit names, military badges and war flag of the PAVN.

After the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, the forces of the LASV were merged into the PAVN one by one. This merger was completed in 1975 and 1976. Although the LASV and the PAVN were nominally two different armies, they shared the same leadership and could completely merge, split, and supplement forces according to their needs. After 1975, the Communist Party of Vietnam acknowledged leading both LASV and the PAVN during the war. The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam also received the secret direction of the Communist Party of Vietnam. In 1976, with the official reunification of Vietnam, this army was dissloved.