Vietnamese military ranks and insignia

Vietnamese military ranks and insignia were specified by the National Assembly of Vietnam through Law on Vietnam People's Army Officer (No: 6-LCT/HĐNN7) on 30 December 1981.^[1]^[2]

The Vietnam People's Army distinguishes three careerpaths: Officers (sĩ quan), non-commissioned officers (hạ sĩ quan), and enlisted members (chiến sĩ).

Because the shoulder insignia of all ranks are represented by an elongated pentagonal epaulette, they are, hence, either detailed or colour-coded to indicate rank, branch, as well as unit.

The shoulder epaulettes from those of enlisted soldiers to field officers are detailed with a silver crest with an encircled silver star. Those of generals and admirals have fully golden epaulettes with corresponding golden crests and encircled stars.

Ranks can show information about branches of military personnel.

Hem Colour of the ranks can show branches:

Army (ground forces): red
Air Force/ Air defence: azure
Navy: dark-purple
Border Defence: green
Coast Guard: blue.

Army-Air Force-Navy ranks have background are yellow.

Border Defense Force's ranks have background is dark-green and hem colour is red.

Coast Guard's ranks have background is blue and hem colour is yellow.

Table of ranks

Officers

The following are the current rank insignia for commissioned officers for the army, navy, air force, border guard and coast guard, respectively.

Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers				Junior officers				Officer cadet
Vietnam People's Ground Force^[3] v t e
Vietnam People's Ground Force^[3] v t e		Đại tướng	Thượng tướng	Trung tướng	Thiếu tướng	Đại tá	Thượng tá	Trung tá	Thiếu tá	Đại úy	Thượng úy	Trung úy	Thiếu úy	Học viên sĩ quan
Vietnam People's Navy^[3] v t e
Vietnam People's Navy^[3] v t e			Đô đốc	Phó đô đốc	Chuẩn đô đốc	Đại tá	Thượng tá	Trung tá	Thiếu tá	Đại úy	Thượng úy	Trung úy	Thiếu úy	Học viên Sĩ quan
Vietnam People's Air Force^[3] v t e
Vietnam People's Air Force^[3] v t e			Thượng tướng	Trung tướng	Thiếu tướng	Đại tá	Thượng tá	Trung tá	Thiếu tá	Đại úy	Thượng úy	Trung úy	Thiếu úy	Học viên sĩ quan
Vietnam	No equivalent		File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Colonel General.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Major General.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Senior Colonel.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Colonel.jpg		File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Lieutenant Colonel.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Major.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Captain.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Senior Lieutenant.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Lieutenant.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force SubLieutenant.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force student officer.jpg
Vietnam	No equivalent		Lieutenant General (Trung tướng)	Major General (Thiếu tướng)	Senior Colonel (Đại tá)	Colonel (Thượng tá)		Lieutenant Colonel (Trung tá)	Major (Thiếu tá)	Captain (Đại úy)	Senior Lieutenant (Thượng úy)	Lieutenant (Trung úy)	Junior Lieutenant (Thiếu úy)	Officer Cadet (Học viên Sĩ quan)
Vietnam	No equivalent		File:Vietnam Marine Police Lieutenant General.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Major General.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Colonel.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Senior Colonel.jpg		File:Vietnam Marine Police Lieutenant Colonel.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Major.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Captain.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Senior Lieutenant.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Lieutenant.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police SubLieutenant.jpg	File:Vietnam People's Navy student officer.jpg
Vietnam	No equivalent		Lieutenant General (Trung tướng)	Major General (Thiếu tướng)	Senior Colonel (Đại tá)	Colonel (Thượng tá)		Lieutenant Colonel (Trung tá)	Major (Thiếu tá)	Captain (Đại úy)	Senior Lieutenant (Thượng úy)	Lieutenant (Trung úy)	Junior Lieutenant (Thiếu úy)	Officer Cadet (Học viên Sĩ quan)
Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers				Junior officers				Officer cadet

Warrant officers

The rank insignia for warrant officer for the army, navy, air force, border guard and marine police respectively.

Equivalent NATO rank	WO-5		WO-4		WO-3	WO-2		WO-1
Vietnam People's Ground Force v t e
Vietnam People's Ground Force v t e	Thượng tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp		Trung tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp		Thiếu tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Đại úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Thượng úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Trung úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Thiếu úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp
Vietnam People's Navy v t e
Vietnam People's Navy v t e	Thượng tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp		Trung tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp		Thiếu tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Đại úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Thượng úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Trung úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Thiếu úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp
Vietnam People's Air Force v t e
Vietnam People's Air Force v t e	Thượng tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp		Trung tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp		Thiếu tá Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Đại úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Thượng úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Trung úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp	Thiếu úy Quân nhân Chuyên nghiệp
Vietnam
Vietnam	Fourth Warrant Officer (Thiếu úy QNCN)	Third Warrant Officer (Trung úy QNCN)	Second Warrant Officer (Thượng úy QNCN)	First Warrant Officer (Đại úy QNCN)	Chief Warrant Officer (Thiếu tá QNCN)	Master Chief Warrant Officer (Trung tá QNCN)		Senior Master Chief Warrant Officer (Thượng tá QNCN)
Vietnam
Vietnam	Fourth Warrant Officer (Thiếu úy QNCN)	Third Warrant Officer (Trung úy QNCN)	Second Warrant Officer (Thượng úy QNCN)	First Warrant Officer (Đại úy QNCN)	Chief Warrant Officer (Thiếu tá QNCN)	Master Chief Warrant Officer (Trung tá QNCN)		Senior Master Chief Warrant Officer (Thượng tá QNCN)

Enlisted

The rank insignia for enlisted for the army, navy, air force, border guard and marine police respectively.

Rank group	Senior NCOs					Junior NCOs		Enlisted
Vietnam People's Ground Force^[3] v t e
Vietnam People's Ground Force^[3] v t e		Thượng sĩ		Trung sĩ		Hạ sĩ		Binh nhất	Binh nhì
Vietnam People's Navy^[3] v t e
Vietnam People's Navy^[3] v t e		Thượng sĩ		Trung sĩ		Hạ sĩ		Binh nhất	Binh nhì
Vietnam People's Air Force^[3] v t e
Vietnam People's Air Force^[3] v t e		Thượng sĩ		Trung sĩ		Hạ sĩ		Binh nhất	Binh nhì
Vietnam	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Sergeant major.jpg	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Sergeant.jpg	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Corporal.jpg	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force First Private.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force Second Private.jpg
Vietnam	No equivalent	Sergeant Major Thượng sĩ	No equivalent	Sergeant Trung sĩ	No equivalent	Corporal Hạ sĩ	No equivalent	Private First Class Binh nhất	Private Binh nhì
Vietnam	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Marine Police Sergeant major.jpg	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Marine Police Sergeant.jpg	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Marine Police Corporal.jpg	No equivalent	File:Vietnam Marine Police First Private.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police Second Private.jpg
Vietnam	No equivalent	Sergeant Major Thượng sĩ	No equivalent	Sergeant Trung sĩ	No equivalent	Corporal Hạ sĩ	No equivalent	Leading seaman Binh nhất	Seaman Binh nhì
Rank group	Senior NCOs					Junior NCOs		Enlisted

Lapels

Level	Ground Forces	Air Force	Navy	Border Defence	Coast Guard
Level		File:Air Force wings.jpg	File:Anchor Navy.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force symbol.jpg	File:Anchor Marine Police.jpg
General Officers	File:Vietnam People's Army general rank lapel.jpg	File:Vietnam People's Air Force general rank lapel.jpg	File:Vietnam People's Navy general rank lapel.jpg	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force general rank lapel.jpg	File:Vietnam Marine Police general rank lapel.jpg
Field Grade Officers Company Grade Officers	File:Vietnam People's Navy Army Captain rank lapel.png	File:Vietnam People's Air Force Captain rank lapel.png	File:Vietnam People's Navy Commander rank lapel.png	File:Vietnam Border Defense Force rank lapel.png	File:Vietnam Marine Police Captain rank lapel.png

References

^ http://laws.dongnai.gov.vn/1991_to_2000/1999/199912/199912210006^{[permanent dead link]}
^ http://www.vanbanphapluat.com/danh-muc-van-ban-phap-luat.html?view=doc&id=83282^{[permanent dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Quy định quân hiệu, cấp hiệu, phù hiệu và lễ phục của Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam". mod.gov.vn (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Defence (Vietnam). 26 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.

External links

(Vietnamese military and police ranks)

[1] ttp://laws.dongnai.gov.vn/1991_to_2000/1999/199912/199912210006^{[permanent dead link]}

[2] ttp://www.vanbanphapluat.com/danh-muc-van-ban-phap-luat.html?view=doc&id=83282^{[permanent dead link]}

[Vietnam-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Quy định quân hiệu, cấp hiệu, phù hiệu và lễ phục của Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam". mod.gov.vn (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Defence (Vietnam). 26 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]