List of weapons of the Vietnam War

thumb|Vietnam-era rifles used by the US military and allies. From top to bottom: [[M14 rifle|M14, MAS 36, M16 (30 round magazine), AR-10, M16 (20 round magazine), M21, L1A1, M40, MAS 49]]

The Vietnam War involved the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) or North Vietnamese Army (NVA), National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (NLF) or Viet Cong (VC), and the armed forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Soviet Armed Forces, Korean People's Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), United States Armed Forces, Republic of Korea Armed Forces, Royal Thai Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, and New Zealand Defence Force, with a variety of irregular troops.

Nearly all United States-allied forces were armed with U.S. weapons including the M1 Garand, M1 carbine, M14 rifle, and M16 rifle. The Australian and New Zealand forces employed the 7.62 mm L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle as their service rifle, with the occasional use of the M16 rifle.

The PAVN, although having inherited a variety of American, French, and Japanese weapons from World War II and the First Indochina War (aka French Indochina War), were largely armed and supplied by the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and its Warsaw Pact allies. Further, some weapons—notably anti-personnel explosives, the K-50M (a PPSh-41 copy), and "home-made" versions of the RPG-2—were manufactured in North Vietnam. By 1969 the US Army had identified 40 rifle/carbine types, 22 machine gun types, 17 types of mortar, 20 recoilless rifle or rocket launcher types, nine types of antitank weapons, and 14 anti-aircraft artillery weapons used by ground troops on all sides. Also in use, mostly by anti-communist forces, were the 24 types of armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, and 26 types of field artillery and rocket launchers.

Communist forces and weapons

thumb|Captured PAVN weapons

During the early stages of their insurgency, the Viet Cong mainly sustained itself with captured arms (often of American manufacture) or crude, self-made weapons (e.g. copies of the US Thompson submachine gun and shotguns made of galvanized pipes). Most arms were captured from poorly defended ARVN militia outposts.

Communist forces were principally armed with Chinese and Soviet weaponry though some VC guerrilla units were equipped with Western infantry weapons either captured from French stocks during the first Indochina war, such as the MAT-49, or from ARVN units or requisitioned through illicit purchase.

By Autumn of 1967, all Viet Cong battalions were reequipped with arms of Soviet design such as the AK-47 and the RPG-2. Their weapons were principally of Chinese or Soviet manufacture. The period up to the conventional phase in the 1970, the Viet Cong and NVA were mostly limited to mortars, recoilless rifles, and small-arms and had significantly lighter equipment and firepower relative to the US arsenal, relying on ambushes, with superior stealth, planning, marksmanship, and small-unit tactics to face the disproportionate US technological advantage.

Many divisions within the NVA would incorporate armoured and mechanised battalions including the Type 59 tank, BTR-60, Type 60 artillery, and rapidly altered and integrated new war doctrines following the Tet Offensive into a mobile combined-arms force. The North Vietnamese had both amphibious tanks (such as the PT-76) and light tanks (such the Type 62) used during the conventional phase. Experimental Soviet equipment started being used against ARVN forces at the same time, including Man-portable air-defense system SA-7 Grail and anti-tank missiles including the AT-3 Sagger. By 1975, they had fully transformed from the strategy of mobile light-infantry and using the people's war concept used against the United States.]]

US weapons

The American M16 rifle and XM177 carbine, which both replaced the M14, were lighter and considered more accurate than the AK-47 but in Vietnam was prone to "failure to extract", in which the spent cartridge case remained stuck in the chamber after a round was fired, preventing the next round from feeding and jamming the gun. This was ultimately traced to an inadequately tested switch in propellants from DuPont's proprietary IMR 4475 to Olin's WC 846, that Army Ordnance had ordered out of concern for standardization and mass production capacity.

The heavily armored, 90 mm gun M48A3 'Patton' tank saw extensive action during the Vietnam War and over 600 were deployed with U.S. forces. They played an important role in infantry support though there were a few tank versus tank battles. The M67A1 flamethrower tank (nicknamed the Zippo) was an M48 variant used in Vietnam. The use of this euphemistically nicknamed tank should not be confused with the widespread use of actual Zippo lighters to burn villages, which gave rise to the nickname of "Zippo squads". (Far from all such squads fielded the tank.) The Zippo nickname was also applied to man-portable flamethrowers. Artillery was used extensively by both sides but the Americans were able to ferry the lightweight 105 mm M102 howitzer by helicopter to remote locations on quick notice. With its range, the Soviet 130 mm M-46 towed field gun was a highly regarded weapon and used to good effect by the PAVN. It was countered by the long-range, American 175 mm M107 Self-Propelled Gun (nicknamed Miller).

The United States had air superiority, though many aircraft were lost to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. U.S. airpower was credited with breaking the siege of Khe Sanh and blunting the 1972 Easter Offensive against South Vietnam. At sea, the U.S. Navy had the run of the coastline, using aircraft carriers as platforms for offshore strikes and other naval vessels for offshore artillery support. Offshore naval fire played a pivotal role in the Battle of Huế in February 1968, providing accurate fire in support of the U.S. counter-offensive to retake the city.

thumb|Captured South Vietnamese warplanes in Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnam War was the first conflict that saw wide-scale tactical deployment of helicopters. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois nicknamed "Huey" was used extensively in counter-guerilla operations both as a troop carrier and a gunship. The aircraft ordnance used during the war included precision-guided munition, cluster bombs, a thickening–gelling agent generally mixed with petroleum or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, initially against buildings and later mostly as an anti-personnel weapon that sticks to skin and can burn down to the bone.

The Claymore M18A1, an anti-personnel mine, was widely used. It is command-detonated, directionally shooting 700 steel pellets into the kill zone.

Weapons of the South Vietnamese, U.S., South Korean, Australian, New Zealand and Thailand Forces

Hand combat weapons

thumb|The Ka-Bar knife was the most famous edged weapon of the war.

L1A1 and L1A2 bayonets – used on L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle
M1905 bayonet – used on the M1 Garand.
M3 fighting knife
M4 bayonet – used on the M1 and M2 Carbine.
M5 bayonet – used on the M1 Garand.
M6 bayonet – used on the M14.
M7 Bayonet – used on the M16.
Ka-Bar Utility/fighting Knife – used by the US Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
Randall Made Knives – personally purchased by some US soldiers.
Bow – used by US Mobile Riverine Force.
Crossbow – used by South Vietnamese Montagnards

Pistols and revolvers

Colt M1911A1 – standard US and ARVN sidearm.
Colt Commander – used by US military officers and US Special forces.
Browning Hi-Power – used by Australian and New Zealand forces (L9 pistol). Also used on an unofficial basis by US reconnaissance and Special Forces units.
Colt Detective Special – .38 Special revolver, used by some ARVN officers
Colt Police Positive Special – .38 Special revolver, used by USAF and tunnel rats
FN Baby Browning- .25 ACP pistol, used as a last resort weapon by MACVSOG.
High Standard HDM – Integrally suppressed .22LR handgun, supplemented by the Mark 22 Mod 0 in the later stages of the war.
Walther P38 – CIA provided pistol
Walther PPK – Suppressed pistol used by MACVSOG recon skydiver team
CAR-15 – carbine variant of the M16 produced in very limited numbers, fielded by special operations early on. Later supplemented by the improved XM177.
XM177 (Colt Commando)/GAU-5 – further development of the CAR-15, used heavily by MACV-SOG, the US Air Force, and US Army. About 520 were supplied to the ARVN and 460 to the Thai forces.
M1903A4 Springfield – used by the USMC early in the war, replaced by the M40.
Carl Gustaf m/45 – used by Navy SEALs in the start of the war, but later replaced by the Smith & Wesson M76 in the late 1960s. Significant numbers also used by MAC-V-SOG, South Vietnamese,
M3 Grease gun – standard U.S. military submachine gun, also used by the South Vietnamese
Stevens Model 520/620
Winchester Model 1912 – used by USMC.
Winchester Model 1200 – pump-action shotgun used by the US Army.
Winchester Model 1897 – used by the Marines during the early stages of the war.

Machine guns

alt=South Vietnamese soldier with a M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|thumb|South Vietnamese soldier with a M1918 Browning Automatic RifleM60 machine gun – standard General-purpose machine gun for US, ANZAC, and ARVN forces throughout the war.

thumb|US Marine fires his M60 machine gun at an enemy position during the [[Battle of Huế.]]

Colt Machine Gun – experimental light machine gun deployed by SEAL Team 2 in 1970. or stop a pursuer.
AN/M14 TH3 thermite grenade – Incendiary grenade used to destroy equipment and as a fire-starting device.
M15 and M34 smoke grenades – filled with white phosphorus, which ignites on contact with air and creates thick white smoke. Used for signalling and screening purposes, as well as an anti-personnel weapon in enclosed spaces, as the burning white phosphorus would rapidly consume any oxygen, suffocating the victims.
M18 smoke grenade – Signalling/screening grenade available in red, yellow, green, and purple.
V40 Mini-Grenade
OF 37 grenade and DF 37 grenade, French grenades used by the ARVN in the 1950s
XM58 riot control grenade – A miniature riot control grenade used by MACVSOG and Navy SEALs. Withdrawn due to safety reasons.
Mark 19 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x53mm grenade launcher.
M72 LAW – 66 mm anti-tank rocket launcher.
RPG-2 - Used by MACVSOG

Flamethrowers

M2A1-7 and M9A1-7 flamethrowers

Infantry support weapons

thumb|A US marine carries an [[M67 recoilless rifle past a burning Viet Cong base camp in Mỹ Tho, South Vietnam, 1968]]

M18 recoilless rifle – 57mm shoulder-fired/tripod mounted recoilless rifle, used by the ARVN early in the war.
M20 recoilless rifle – 75mm tripod/vehicle-mounted recoilless rifle, used by US and ARVN forces early in the war.
M67 recoilless rifle – 90mm shoulder-fired anti-tank recoilless rifle, used by the US Army, US Marine Corps, ANZAC and ARVN selected forces.
M40 recoilless rifle 106mm tripod/vehicle-mounted recoilless rifle.
M2 mortar – 60 mm mortar, used with the lighter but less accurate and lower-range M19 mortar.
M19 mortar – 60 mm mortar, used with the older, heavier M2 mortar.
Brandt Mle 27/31 – 81 mm mortar, used by ARVN forces
M1 mortar – 81 mm mortar, used by ARVN forces.
M29 mortar – 81 mm mortar, used by US and ARVN forces.
L16A1 mortar – 81mm, used by ANZAC forces.
82-BM-37 – captured 82 mm mortar, few used by USMC with US rounds.
M30 mortar 107 mm mortar, used by US and ARVN forces.
M98 Howtar, variant of the latter mounted on a M116 howitzer carriage.

Artillery

thumb|[[Self-propelled artillery|Self-propelled Howitzer M109 in Vietnam]]

M55 quad machine gun – used to defend US Army bases and on vehicles
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon – used on riverine crafts
Bofors 40 mm gun – used on riverine crafts
105 mm Howitzer M101A1/M2A1
105 mm Howitzer M102
155 mm Howitzer M114
M53 Self-propelled 155 mm gun
M55 Self-propelled 8-inch howitzer
M107 Self-propelled 175 mm gun
M108 Self-propelled 105 mm howitzer
M109 Self-propelled 155 mm howitzer
M110 Self-propelled 8-inch howitzer
L5 pack howitzer 105 mm pack howitzer used by Australia and New Zealand
MIM-23 Hawk – medium-range surface to air missile used in very small quantities by the US Marines.

Artillery ammunition types

HE (High explosive) – standard artillery round.
High-explosive anti-tank round – fired by 105 mm guns.
White phosphorus – used for screening or incendiary purposes.
Smoke shells – used for screening.
Leaflet shell
Beehive flechette rounds – antipersonnel rounds.
Improved conventional munition – antipersonnel shell with submunitions.

Aircraft

(listed alphabetically by modified/basic mission code, then numerically in ascending order by design number/series letter)

A-1 Skyraider – ground attack aircraft
A-3 Skywarrior – carrier-based bomber
A-4 Skyhawk – carrier-based strike aircraft
A-6 Intruder – carrier-based all weather strike aircraft
A-7 Corsair II – carrier-based strike aircraft
A-26 Invader – light bomber
A-37 Dragonfly – ground attack aircraft
AC-47 Spooky – gunship
AC-119G "Shadow" – gunship
AC-119K "Stinger" – gunship
AC-130 "Spectre" – gunship
AU-24 Stallion – ground attack aircraft
alt=B-52 Stratofortress at Thailand Air Base|thumb|B-52 Stratofortress at Thailand Air BaseB-52 Stratofortress – heavy bomber
B-57 Canberra – medium bomber
Canberra B.20 – Royal Australian Air Force medium bomber
C-1 Trader – cargo/transport aircraft
C-2 Greyhound – cargo/transport aircraft
C-5 Galaxy – strategic lift cargo aircraft
C-7 Caribou – tactical cargo aircraft, used by the U.S. Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the South Vietnamese Air Force
C-46 Commando – cargo/transport aircraft
C-47 – cargo/transport aircraft
C-54 – transport aircraft
C-119 Boxcar – cargo/transport aircraft
C-121 Constellation – transport aircraft
C-123 Provider – cargo/transport aircraft
C-124 Globemaster II – cargo/transport aircraft
C-130 Hercules – cargo/transport plane
C-133 Cargomaster – cargo/transport aircraft
C-141 Starlifter – strategic cargo aircraft
E-1 Tracer – carrier-based airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft
E-2 Hawkeye – carrier-based airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft
EA-3 Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft
EA-6B Prowler – carrier-based electronic warfare & attack aircraft
EB-57 Canberra – tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft
EB-66 – tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft
EC-121 – radar warning or sensor relay aircraft
EF-10 Skyknight – tactical electronic warfare aircraft
EKA-3B Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical electronic warfare aircraft
F-4 Phantom II – carrier and land based fighter-bomber
F-5 Freedom Fighter – light-weight fighter used in strike aircraft role
F8F Bearcat – piston fighter-bomber, used by the South Vietnamese Air Force until 1964.
F-8 Crusader – carrier and land based fighter-bomber
F-14 Tomcat – carrier-based fighter, made its combat debut during Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, in April 1975.
F-100 Super Sabre – fighter-bomber
F-102 Delta Dagger – fighter
F-104 Starfighter – fighter
F-105 Thunderchief – fighter-bomber
F-111 Aardvark – medium bomber
HU-16 Albatross – rescue amphibian
KA-3 Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical aerial refueler aircraft
KA-6 Intruder – carrier-based tactical aerial refueler aircraft
KC-130 Hercules – tactical aerial refueler/assault transport aircraft
KC-135 Stratotanker – aerial refueling aircraft
O-1 Bird Dog – light observation airplane
O-2 Skymaster – observation aircraft
OV-1 Mohawk – battlefield surveillance and light strike aircraft
OV-10 Bronco – light attack/observation aircraft
P-2 Neptune – maritime patrol aircraft
P-3 Orion – maritime patrol aircraft
P-5 Marlin – antisubmarine seaplane
QU-22 Pave Eagle (Beech Bonanza) – electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft
RA-3B Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RA-5C Vigilante – carrier-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RB-47 Stratojet – photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RB-57 Canberra – tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RB-66 – tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RF-4 Phantom II – carrier and land-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RF-8 Crusader – carrier-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RF-101 Voodoo – tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RT-33A – reconnaissance jet
S-2 Tracker – carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft
SR-71 Blackbird – strategic reconnaissance aircraft
T-28 Trojan – trainer/ground attack aircraft
T-41 Mescalero – trainer aircraft
U-1 Otter – transport aircraft
U-2 – reconnaissance aircraft
U-6 Beaver – utility aircraft
U-8 Seminole – transport/electronic survey aircraft
U-10 Helio Courier – utility aircraft
U-17 Skywagon – utility aircraft
U-21 Ute – liaison and electronic survey
YO-3 Quiet Star – light observation airplane

thumb|[[USS Garrett County (LST-786)|USS Garrett County at anchor in the Mekong Delta with two UH-1B Iroquois helicopters on deck]]

Helicopters

(listed numerically in ascending order by design number/series letter, then alphabetically by mission code)

UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" – utility transport and gunship helicopter
AH-1G HueyCobra – attack helicopter
AH-1J SeaCobra – twin-engine attack helicopter
UH-1N Iroquois – twin-engine utility helicopter
UH-2 Seasprite – carrier-based utility helicopter
CH-3 Sea King – long-range transport helicopter
HH-3 "Jolly Green Giant" – long-range combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter
SH-3 Sea King – carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter
OH-6A Cayuse "Loach" (from LOH – Light Observation Helicopter) – light transport/observation (i.e. scout) helicopter
OH-13 Sioux – light observation helicopter
UH-19 Chickasaw – utility transport helicopter
CH-21 Shawnee – cargo/transport helicopter
OH-23 Raven – light utility helicopter
CH-34 Choctaw – cargo/transport helicopter
CH-37 Mojave – cargo/transport helicopter
HH-43 Huskie – rescue helicopter
CH-46 Sea Knight – cargo/transport helicopter
CH-47 Chinook – cargo/transport helicopter
CH-53 Sea Stallion – heavy-lift transport helicopter
HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant" – long-range combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter
CH-54 Tarhe "Sky Crane" – heavy lift helicopter
OH-58A Kiowa – light transport/observation helicopter

Aircraft ordnance

GBUs
CBUs
BLU-82 Daisy cutter
Napalm
Bomb, 250 lb, 500 lb, 750 lb, 1000 lb, HE (high explosive), general-purpose
Rocket, aerial, HE (High Explosive), 2.75 inch

Aircraft weapons

thumb|A [[minigun being fired from a combat search and rescue helicopter in Vietnam]]

M60D machine gun – 7.62mm (helicopter mount)
Minigun – 7.62 mm (aircraft and helicopter mount)
Colt Mk 12 cannon – 20 mm (aircraft mount)
M3 cannon – 20 mm (aircraft mount)
M39 cannon – 20 mm (aircraft mount)
M61 Vulcan – 20 mm (aircraft mount), M195 was used on AH-1
M197 Gatling gun – 20 mm (used on AH-1J helicopters)
M75 grenade launcher – 40 mm (helicopter mount)
M129 grenade launcher – 40 mm (helicopter mount)
AIM-4 Falcon
AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-9 Sidewinder
AGM-12 Bullpup
AGM-22
AGM-45 Shrike
AGM-62 Walleye
AGM-78 Standard ARM
AGM-65 Maverick

Chemical weapons

Rainbow Herbicides
Agent Orange – While developed to be used as a herbicide to destroy natural obstacles and tree camouflage, it was later revealed that it posed health risks to those exposed to it.
Agent Blue – Used to destroy agricultural land that was believed to be used to grow food for the VC/NVA.
Agent Green
Agent White
Napalm
CS-1 riot control agent – "Teargas", used in grenades, cluster bomblets or (rarely) shells.
CN gas – "teargas"

Vehicles

In addition to cargo-carrying and troop transport roles, many of these vehicles were also equipped with weapons and sometimes armor, serving as "gun trucks" for convoy escort duties.

M274 Truck, Platform, Utility, 1/2 Ton, 4X4 – Commonly called a "Mechanical Mule".
Land Rover (short and long wheelbase) – Australian and New Zealand forces.
CJ-3B and M606 – 1/4 ton jeep
M151 – ¼ ton jeep.
Dodge M37 – 3/4 ton truck.
M76 Otter – 1¼-ton amphibious cargo carrier used by USMC.
M116 Husky – 1¼-ton amphibious cargo carrier, tested by USMC.
M733 – 1¼-ton amphibious personnel carrier, M116 variant, tested by USMC.
M35 series 2½-ton 6x6 cargo truck
M135 2½-ton truck
M54 5-ton 6x6 truck
M548 – 6-ton tracked cargo carrier
M520 Goer – 4x4 8-ton cargo truck.
M123 and M125 10-ton 6x6 trucks

Other vehicles

Caterpillar D7E bulldozer – used by US Army
Various graders and bulldozers used by the USMC
ERDLator

Combat vehicles

Tanks

M24 Chaffee – light tank; main ARVN tank early in the war, used at least as late as the Tet Offensive.
M41A3 Walker Bulldog – light tank, replaced the M24 Chaffee as the main ARVN tank from 1965.
M48 Patton – main tank of the US Army and Marines throughout the war, and also used by ARVN forces from 1971.
M67 "Zippo" – flamethrower variant of the M48 Patton, used by USMC.
M551 Sheridan – Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle/Light Tank, used by the US Army from 1969.
Centurion Mk 5 Main Battle Tank – used by the Australian Army, with AVLB and ARV variants.

Other armored vehicles

C15TA Armoured Truck – used by the ARVN early in the war
LVTP5 (aka AMTRACs) – amphibious tractors/landing craft used by USMC and later by RVNMD
Lynx Scout Car Mk II – used by the ARVN
M113 – APC (Armored Personnel Carrier)
M113 ACAV – Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle
M163 Vulcan – self-propelled anti-aircraft tank
M114 – reconnaissance vehicle
M132 armored flamethrower
M106 mortar carrier
M3 Scout Car – used by South Vietnamese forces early in the war.
M3 half-track – used by South Vietnamese forces early in the war.
Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando – replaced ARVN M8 armored cars in 1967. Also used by US forces as M706 Commando.
M8 Greyhound – used by ARVN forces early in the war.
M56 Scorpion – limited use in 1965–1966
M50 Ontos – self-propelled 106 mm recoilless rifle carrier used by the USMC until 1969.
M42 Duster – M41 based hull, with a twin 40 mm antiaircraft gun mounted on an open turret
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle – modified M60 Patton tank equipped with dozer blade, short-barrelled 165 mm M135 Demolition Gun, and A-Frame crane.
M60 AVLB – armored vehicle launched bridge using M60 Patton chassis.
M51 armored recovery vehicle – fielded by US Marines.
M578 light recovery vehicle
M88 recovery vehicle – armored recovery vehicle based on M48 chassis.
Wickums armored draisine used by the ARVN.

Naval craft

thumb|Fast Patrol Craft

LCM-6 and LCM-8 – with several modifications:
LCMs modified as a river monitors
Armored Troop Carrier
Command and Communication Boat (CCB)
other variants included helipad boats and tankers
LCVP – Landing craft vehicle personnel, some made by the French Services Techniques des Construction et Armes Navales/France Outremer and known as FOM
Swift Boat – Patrol Craft Fast (PCF)
ASPB – assault support patrol boat
PBR – Patrol Boat River, all-fiberglass boats propelled by twin water jets, used by the US Navy
Hurricane Aircat – airboat used by ARVN and US Army

Communications

thumb|right|[[United States in the Vietnam War|American soldier using the KY-38 "man-pack", part of the NESTOR voice encryption system that was used during the Vietnam War. The upper unit is an AN/PRC-77 radio transceiver. The combined weight of the units, 54 pounds (24.5 kg), proved an obstacle to their use in combat.]]

Radios

The geographically dispersed nature of the war challenged existing military communications. From 1965 to the final redeployment of tactical units, numerous communications-electronics systems were introduced in Vietnam to upgrade the quality and quantity of tactical communications and replace obsolete gear:

AN/PRT-4 and PRR-9 squad radios – replaced the AN/PRC-6.
AN/PRC-6 and AN/PRC-10 – older short range radios, used for outposts
AN/PRC-25 and 77 – short-range FM radios that replaced the AN/PRC-8-10.
AN/VRC-12 series (VRC-43, VRC-45, VRC-46, VRC-47, VRC-48) – FM radios that replaced the RT-66-67-68/GRC (including AN/GRC 3–8, VRC 7–10, VRC 20–22, and VRQ 1–3 sets).
AN/GRC-106 – AM radios and teletypewriter that replaced the AN/GRC-19.
TA-312 and TA-1 field telephones.

Encryption systems

Encryption systems developed by the National Security Agency and used in Vietnam included:

NESTOR – tactical secure voice system, including the TSEC/KY-8, 28 and 38 was used with the PRC-77 and VRC-12
KW-26 – protected higher level teletype traffic
KW-37 – protected the U.S. Navy fleet broadcast
KL-7 – provided offline security
A number of paper encryption and authentication products, including one time pads and the KAL-55B Tactical Authentication System

Weapons of the PAVN/VC, China, Soviet and North Korea Forces

The PAVN and the Southern communist guerrillas, the Viet Cong (VC) as they were commonly referred to during the war, largely used standard Warsaw Pact weapons. Weapons used by the PAVN also included Chinese Communist variants, which were referred to as CHICOM's by the US military. Captured weapons were also widely used; almost every small arm used by SEATO may have seen limited enemy use. During the early 1950s, US equipment captured in Korea was also sent to the Viet Minh.

Small arms

thumb|right|[[Viet Cong guerrilla stands beneath a Viet Cong flag carrying an AK-47 rifle.]]

thumb|A U.S. Army M.P. inspects a Soviet [[AK-47 recovered in Vietnam in 1968.]]

thumb|[[People's Army of Vietnam|PAVN troops with PPSh-41]]

thumb|VC soldier with [[SKS]]

Hand combat weapons

thumb|The [[Ka-Bar knife was also used by the PAVN & Viet Cong]]

A wide variety of bayonets meant for fitting on the many types of rifles used by the NVA and VC.
Type 30 bayonet
Nagant M1895
M1911 pistol
M1935A pistol
SA vz. 61 – automatic pistol, mainly issued to special forces as the K61l
Tokarev TT-33 – Standard pistol, including Chinese Type 51 and Type 54 copies including Zastava M57
Walther P38 – Captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the VPA and the NLF as military aid or of the Mauser C96 (Cao Dai 763) or crude one-shot guns, were also used by the Viet Cong early in the war.
PMK – Polish-made AK-47
AKM – from the Soviet Union, common modernized variant of the AK-47
PM md. 63/65 – Romanian variant of AKM
AMD-65 – Very limited use from Hungary
M1/M2 carbines – common and popular captured semi-automatic rifles
M1 Garand — Captured from South Vietnamese forces
vz. 52 rifle semi-automatic rifle, very rarely used
Vz. 58 assault rifle
Sturmgewehr 44 — Limited

Rifles: bolt-action, marksman

Arisaka rifles – Used by Viet Cong early in the war.
Lebel rifle – Used earlier in the war.
M1903 Springfield – Used by Viet Cong forces
M1917 Enfield – Used by Viet Cong forces
SVD Dragunov – Soviet semi-automatic sniper rifle in limited use
vz. 24 – Used by Viet Cong forces.
Older or rarer rifles were often modified by the Viet Cong early in the war: Gras mle 1874 carbines were rechambered to .410 bore while Destroyer carbines were modified to accept the magazine of the Walther P38.

Submachine guns

K-50M submachine gun (Vietnamese edition, based on Chinese version of Russian PPSh-41, under licence)
MAT-49 submachine gun – Captured during the French-Indochina War. Many were converted from 9×19mm to 7.62×25mm Tokarev
MAS-38 submachine gun – Captured from the French in the Indochina War.
PM-63 submachine gun – Used by tank crews
M56 submachine gun – limited use, received from Yugoslavia
Madsen M-50 – Small numbers captured from US and ARVN forces
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
M1917 Browning machine gun – captured from ARVN/US forces
M1919 Browning machine gun – captured from ARVN/US forces
M60 machine gun – captured from ARVN/US forces
M2 Browning – captured from ARVN/US forces
MG 34 – captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the VPA and the NLF as military aid
Reibel Machine gun
RPD light machine gun (and Chinese Type 56 and North Korean Type 62 copies) – first used in 1964
Type 24 machine gun (Chinese-made MG-08) – used by the Viet Cong Forces
Type 67 machine gun
Type 92 heavy machine gun
Type 99 light machine gun
Uk vz. 59 general-purpose machine gun
ZB vz. 26 light machine gun (included Chinese copies)

Grenades, mines, and booby traps

Home-made grenades and IEDs
F1 grenade (Chinese Type 1)
M29 grenade – captured
M79 grenade launcher – captured from US or ARVN forces
RG-42 grenade (Chinese Type 42)
RGD-1 and RGD-2 smoke grenades
RGD-5 grenade (Chinese Type 59)
RKG-3 anti-tank grenade (Chinese Type 3)
Type 67 and RGD-33 stick grenades
Type 64 rifle grenade – fired from AT-44 grenade launchers, fitted to Mosin-Nagant carbines
Type 89 grenade discharger

Flamethrowers

LPO-50 flamethrower
Type 74 Chinese-built copy

Rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, anti-tank rifles and lightweight guided missiles

thumb|North Vietnamese soldier preparing to fire an [[9K32 Strela-2|SA-7]]

Recoilless rifles were known as DKZ (Đại-bác Không Giật).
RPG-2 recoilless rocket launcher (both Soviet, Chinese and locally produced B-40 and B-50 variants used)
RPG-7 recoilless rocket launcher
Type 51 (Chinese copy of the M20 Super Bazooka) – used by Viet Cong as late as 1964
B-10 recoilless rifle
B-11 recoilless rifle
SPG-9 73 mm recoilless rifle
M18 recoilless rifle (and Chinese Type 36 copy) and captured from US or ARVN forces
M20 recoilless rifle (and Chinese Type 52 and Type 56 copies) and captured from US or ARVN forces
PTRD Limited use by the Viet Cong Forces.
S-75 Dvina Soviet high-altitude air defence system
S-125 Neva Soviet high-altitude air defence system

Aircraft

Aero Ae-45 trainer aircraft
Aero L-29 Delfín trainer aircraft
An-2 utility aircraft
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly attack aircraft – limited use of captured or defected
Ilyushin Il-12 transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-14 transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-28 jet bomber
Lisunov Li-2 transport aircraft
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (and Chinese F-4) jet trainer
MiG-17 jet fighter
MiG-19 jet fighter
MiG-21 jet fighter
North American T-28 Trojan – 1 ex-Laotian used in 1964
Shenyang J-5 jet fighter
Shenyang J-6 jet fighter
Yakovlev Yak-18 trainer aircraft

Aircraft weapons

Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23
Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30
Nudelman N-37
Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23
K-5 (missile) (RS-2US)
K-13 (missile) (R-3S)

Tanks

M24 Chaffee – light tank, captured from the French and used for training early in the war
M41 Walker Bulldog – light tank, captured from the ARVN.
M48 Patton – captured from the ARVN.
GAZ-46 light amphibious car
GAZ-51 truck (and Chinese copy)
GAZ-63 truck
Jiefang CA-30 trucks
KrAZ-255 heavy truck
Mazur D-350 artillery tractor
MAZ-502 truck
M35 truck series (captured)