In the resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation, the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (NLF), the united, revolutionary and victorious flag, accomplished its glorious mission, making significant contributions to the liberation of South Vietnam.

In 1959 and 1960, in spite of ruling yoke and grip of Ngo Dinh Diem regime, the general uprising of the South people developed rapidly, taking control of many villages and communes, opening up a new stage for the South revolution. That context required the establishment of a credible and proper political organization that could gather people from all walks of life and lead revolutionary struggle of the South people to gain small victories and then a comprehensive one. As a result, on December 20^th 1960, in Tan Lap commune, Chau Thanh district, Tay Ninh province, under the leadership of the Workers Party of Vietnam, the Congress of the South classes, religions, and peoples reached a decision to establish the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. That decision showed our Party’s strategic thinking and vision for the South revolution. The birth of the NLF made significant contributions to the cause of liberating the South, reunifying the country. Its roles are manifested as follows:

1. The NLF gathered all the South patriotic forces, which was the basis for national liberation. During its operation, the Front raised the flag to unite all social strata, classes, peoples, parties, unions, religions, and patriots regardless of their political trends fighting to overthrow ruling yoke of the US imperialists and the puppet regime. The Front advocated uniting all forces to protect independence and democracy and then reunify the Homeland. That was a sound and creative guideline appropriate for the revolution’s situation at that time. Adopting various measures, the Front intensified its propagation to make people realize the just struggle; understanding the nature of the US imperialists and their lackeys; then persuading the people to join the front to fight the US imperialists, for national salvation. Forms of struggle included: strike, urban demonstrations, and meeting. The Front also built key agents among intellectuals, public servants, patriotic personalities, village patriarchs; understanding the thought and situation of troops and paramilitaries in highland villages, and hamlets to persuade them to join the people’s just struggle. Notably, the Front’s key cadres stuck to the revolutionary movement, building resistance bases in the enemy rear; launching the movement to destroy the enemy’s strategic hamlets, liberating rural area. Subsequently, only in a short time, membership of the Front increased considerably; in 1961, there were only 400 thousand members, in 1962, this figure increased to millions. The Front became a magnet for people from all walks of life who shared desire to liberate the South. Under solidarity flag of the Front, liberated area was increasingly expanded and strengthened: by the end of 1965, the liberated area accounted for 4/5 of the South area, with a population of 10 million people.

Under the Front’s leadership, its sub organizations, such as Liberation Youth Union, Liberation Peasants’ Union, Liberation Women’s Union, Liberation Workers’ Union, were founded. Committees of the Front and people’s self-governing committees in localities were established, and most of communes in liberated area and disputed area had organizations under the Front. The Front Committee at levels was the place for gathering social strata, peoples, religions, local political parts, and for handling work of resistance administrative units, including maintaining security, guiding the masses to work and study, and taking various measures, such as distributing land to peasants, reducing taxes, and clearing debts. With those activities, the Front existed as a political regime, and the Front Central Committee operated as an interim government representing the people in its controlled areas. Witnessing rapid development of the Front and the South revolution, Central Office for South Vietnam issued Directive No.13-CTNT, May 25^th 1968, on changing National Liberation Front Committee at levels into people’s revolutionary committee. Then, from 6-8 August 1969, the National Congress of the South decided to establish Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, creating new political status for the South people’s movement against the US imperialists and the puppet regime in Saigon.

2. Stepping up political struggle; strengthening foreign affairs, creating synergy for the South revolution. Realizing its Platform and 10-point Plan, in collaboration with operations of armed forces, the Front led and organized the people’s political movements in extensive and ebullient way in all three strategic regions. Accordingly, the Front encouraged the masses, social strata, and forces to resist the enemy mopping-up operations, isolating and annihilating ringleaders, persuading tens of thousands of troops and staff of puppet regime to return to the people. Only from 1961 to 1969, there were more than 140 attendances of the people at political movements, such as Buddists’ struggle in late 1963, 30,000 Da Nang peoples’ demonstration and strike of vendors on August 24^th 1964. It is worth noting that political movements of the South people developed rapidly not only in rural areas but also in urban areas. Those movements rocked the puppet regime and the U.S to their foundations, creating favourable condition for our people to annihilate evil-doers, break down the enemy grip, and regain control of many localities and areas.

In addition to the political struggle, on the basis of a thorough grasp of the Party’s guidelines and views on foreign affairs, the Front conducted external activities so as to strengthen their unification and take advantage of international support for our people’s struggle. By a number of appropriate and sound policies and measures, the Front focused all its external activities on isolating the US imperialists, dividing the enemy; consolidating unification with national, democratic, socialist, and peace-loving forces of the world to fight against the U.S. brutal invasion. As a result, the movement to support the people of Vietnam developed vigorously all over the world; credibility of the Front was increasingly heightened. From 1961 to 1967, there were 139 delegations of the Front attending international and regional meetings, and 191 delegations of the South people visiting other countries. It could be said that the Front’s policy on flexible and soft diplomacy made contributions to arousing movements “counter-U.S., pro-Vietnam” of the progressive peoples in the world. Consequently, it could take advantage of all possible forces, attracting social strata and individuals to isolate the U.S. and its puppet regime. That was a great encouragement, making contributions to the final victory of our people.

3. Actively engaging in building large and mighty people’s armed forces to make them the key force in the people’s war. On the basis of its Platform and Action Plan, the Front actively gathered force, built and developed the people’s armed force; leading and directing military, political and diplomatic struggles against the involvement of the U.S., Saigon puppet regime, and the US allies. This was a new, creative development, making significant contributions to the cause of national liberation and reunification. In this regard, the Front persuaded and enlightened the people, particularly the masses’ political force, to join the three-level armed forces, especially self-defence armed teams and militia who both worked and fought; organizations boosted the building of combat communes, developing guerilla, self-defence, commando forces to fight the enemy at any time and any place. In the beginning months of 1961, the US imperialists intensified their armed intervention in the South with Staley-Taylor plan, using Vietnamese to fight against Vietnamese with the help of US dollars and consultants; building “strategic hamlets” to separate the people from the Front force. In response to that situation, the Front’s Central Provisional Committee called for the South people to make every effort to resolutely defeat the Staley-Taylor Plan of the U.S. and Saigon troops. The South armed forces quickly developed from local military units, militia, guerilla into regular battalions, regiments, divisions; from guerilla operations into regular units-based operations; from exploratory battles into deciding victories, defeating the US military strategies and tactics, such as the battles of Nui Thanh, Ba Gia, Bau Bang, Play Me. Under the Front’s leadership, the South people closely worked with Liberation Army in operations, using various forms of struggle, such as “two pillars, three-spear attack, three strategic regions”, fighting in all three aspects of politics, military, and diplomacy; combining offensive with uprising, general uprising with general offensive, and so on, creating synergy for the whole nation to carry out the people’s war, breaking down every strategy of the enemy, then completely defeat the US invasion.

The formation and effective operation of the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam proved its role and importance in the South revolution, representing our Party’s sound, creative revolutionary guidelines. The NLF formation satisfied the requirements of the resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation and the burning desire of the people of the North and South of Vietnam for the cause of liberating the South, reunifying the country. In 16 years conducting its historical mission (from December 20^th 1960 to January 31^st 1977), the Front asserted its important role in gathering force, building the three-level armed forces, and creating synergy to victoriously end our nation’s enduring resistance.

Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Huu