The General Staff ( vi, Bộ Tổng tham mưu) is the commanding and managing organisation of the

Vietnam People's Army Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, the

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

forces,

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

and other activities relating to defence of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

. The General Staff was established on 7 September 1945, right after the

Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam The Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Tuyên ngôn độc lập Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa) was written by Hồ Chí Minh, and announced in public at the Ba Đình flower garden (now the Ba Đình ...

, the first Chief of the General Staff was General

Hoàng Văn Thái Hoàng Văn Thái (1 May 1915 – 2 July 1986), born Hoàng Văn Xiêm, was a Vietnamese Army General and a communist political figure. His hometown was Tây An, Tiền Hải District, Thái Bình Province. During the Tết Offensive, he was t ...

. During the Second Indochina War,

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, Cambodian-Vietnamese War,

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1978, which ended the rule of the C ...

and other skirmishes, the General Staff always had an essential role in organising, commanding the armed forces and planning, operating military campaigns for the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

and the

Government of Vietnam The Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (), also known as the Vietnamese Government or the Government of Vietnam (), is the executive branch and body of the State administration of Vietnam. The members of the Government are appoi ...

. The current Chief of the General Staff is Senior Lieutenant General (AKA Colonel General)

Nguyễn Tân Cương Nguyễn Tân Cương is a Vietnamese general, currently serving as General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of Defence. Nguyễn Tân Cương was born in 1966 in Hà Nam Province, joined the Centr ...

who also holds the position of Deputy Minister of Defence.

History and roles

Right after the

August Revolution The August Revolution ( vi, Cách-mạng tháng Tám), also known as the August General Uprising (), was a revolution launched by the Việt Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam) against the Empire of Vietnam and the Empire of Japan in ...

and the foundation of the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

on 2 September 1945, the General Staff was established on 7 September 1945. The first Chief of the General Staff was Major General

who held the position from 1945 to 1953. During the existence of the General Headquarters of the Vietnam People's Army (''Bộ Tổng tư lệnh Quân đội Nhân dân Việt Nam''), which had been the supreme commanding organ of the armed forces from 1946 to 1975, the General Staff was directly under the General Headquarters and acted as staff of the General Headquarters according to the decree No. 47/SL which was issued on 1 May 1947. After the

, the General Headquarters was dissolved and the General Staff began to operate under the

in the position of commanding and managing organisation of the

, the

forces,

and other activities relating to defence of Vietnam. From 1978, the Chief of Staff was also Deputy Minister of Defence and would take the position of acting minister during the absence of the Minister of Defence.Ministry of Defence (2009), ''White book'', p. 53

Structure

The organisation of the General Staff consists of: * Office of the General Staff (''Văn phòng Bộ Tổng tham mưu'') * Department of Political Affairs (''Cục Chính trị'') * Department of Operations (''Cục Tác chiến'') * Department of Personnel (''Cục Quân lực'') * Department of Military Intelligence (''Cục Tình báo'') * Department of Information Technology (''Cục Công nghệ thông tin'') * Department of Electronic Warfare (''Cục Tác chiến điện tử'') * Department of Military Political Training and Public Affairs (''Cục Quân huấn''). This is also the office responsible for the sport activities of the Army including the operation of the

Viettel FC Viettel Football Club (), simply known as Viettel FC, is a Vietnamese professional Association football, football club based in Hanoi. The club belongs to the Viettel Sports Centre, a part of Viettel Group and competes in the V.League 1, the top ...

(''Thể Công'') football club. * Department of Cartography (''Cục Bản đồ'') * Department of Cryptography (''Cục Cơ yếu'') * Department of Logistics (''Cục Hậu cần'') * Department of Military Education (''Cục Nhà trường'') * Department of Militias and Reserve Forces (''Cục Dân quân tự vệ'') * Department of Disaster Response and SAR (''Cục Cứu hộ cứu nạn'') In addition, the General Staff also directly manages the operation of the 144th Brigade (which protects the Ministry of Defence headquarters), the

Military Honour Guard Battalion ) , image = File:Sergei Shoigu in Vietnam 06.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = , dates = 1944 – present , country = , allegiance = President of Vietnam , branch = Vietnam People's Army , type = Guard of honour , role = Public dutie ...

(''Đoàn Nghi lễ quân đội''), and several companies and project management authorities.

Chief of the General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff (Vietnamese: Tổng tham mưu trưởng) is the chief of staff of the General Staff of the People's Army of Vietnam. He is appointed by the President of Vietnam, who is the Commander-in-Chief.

References

* {{Vietnam People's Army People's Army of Vietnam Military units and formations established in 1945