What did the Americans call the North Vietnamese?
During the Vietnam War, Americans frequently called North Vietnamese soldiers and civilians "Viet Cong" (VC), short for Vietnamese Communists. This term covered both the regular North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Viet Cong guerrilla fighters. Other terms existed, often derogatory, mirroring the war's animosity.
What did Americans call North Vietnamese soldiers?
Okay, so, Viet Cong, right? VC. That’s what everyone called them. Short for Việt Cộng, Vietnamese Communists. Got that hammered into my head in basic training, 1968, Fort Benning, Georgia.
It covered everyone, NVA regulars and the guerrillas – the whole shebang. Honestly, “gooks” was tossed around too, awful, I know. Shameful.
I remember this one sergeant, gruff as hell but fair, really stressing the difference between VC and NVA in our briefings. It wasn’t just semantics.
The distinction mattered strategically, you know, for targeting and all that military stuff. But on the ground… it was often just “VC.”
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