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History The predecessor of the VPA was the Armed Propaganda Unit for National Liberation, an organization that was formed by Ho Chi Minh on December 22 , 1944 to drive the French Colonialists and Japanese occupiers from Vietnam . http://indochine54.free.fr/vm/vietminh.html#top General Vo Nguyen Giap was the first Commander-in-Chief of VPA and the fourth Minister of National Defence (after Chu Van Tan, Phan Anh, Ta Quang Buu). During peaceful periods, the VPA has actively been involved in Vietnam's workforce to develop the Economy Of Vietnam , in order to coordinate national defense and the economy. The VPA is involved in such areas as Industry , Agriculture , Forestry , Fishery and Telecommunication s. The Vietnam People’s Army today Organization The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the Commander-in-Chief , while the Minister of National Defense oversees operations of the VPA. The Minister of National Defense oversees such agencies as the General Staff and the General Logistics Department. However, military policy is ultimately directed by the Central Military Commission of the ruling Communist Party Of Vietnam . The VPA is composed of a main force and local forces. As with most countries' armed forces, the VPA consists of standing, or regular, forces as well as reserve forces. During peacetime, the standing forces are minimized in number, and kept combat-ready by regular physical and Weapon s training, and stock maintenance. Branches The Vietnam People's Army is comprised of various units of the main forces (''Chủ lực''), local forces (''Địa phương'') and the People's Defence Forces (''Dân quân-Tự vệ''). It is subdivided into the following branches and sub-branches:
As mentioned above, reserves exist in all branches and are organized in the same way as the standing forces, with the same Chain Of Command , and with Officer s and Non-commissioned Officer s. See Vietnamese Military Ranks And Insignia . International presence The Foreign Relations Department of the Ministry of National Defense organizes international operations of the VPA. Apart from its occupation of half of the disputed Spratly Islands , which have been claimed as Vietnamese territory since the 17th century, Vietnam has not had forces stationed internationally since its withdrawal from Cambodia and Laos in early 1990. Components Main Force The main force of the VPA consists of combat ready troops, as well as educational institutions for logistics, officer training, and technical training. Local Forces Local forces are an entity of the VPA that, together with the Militia and "self-defense forces," act on the local level in protection of people and local authorities. While the local forces are regular VPA forces, the militia consists of rural civilians, and the self-defense forces consist of civilians who live in urban areas and/or work in large groups, such as at construction sites or farms. Manpower The Vietnam People's Army consists of:
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