<Table> <Tr> <Th colspan="2"> National Liberation Front of South Vietnam </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td colspan="2"> Participant in the Vietnam War </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td colspan="2"> The flag of the Việt Cộng , adopted in 1960 , is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Active </Th> <Td> 21 July 1954 -- 2 July 1976 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Ideology </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Communism </Li> <Li> Marxism -- Leninism </Li> <Li> Left - wing nationalism </Li> <Li> Vietnamese nationalism </Li> <Li> Hồ Chí Minh Thought </Li> <Li> Anti-imperialism </Li> <Li> Anti-revisionism </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Groups </Th> <Td> <P> HQ Group Central Office for South Vietnam Military Wing </P> <Ul> <Li> People 's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam </Li> <Li> Independent Battalions </Li> </Ul> <P> Political Wings </P> <Ul> <Li> National Liberation Front for Southern Vietnam </Li> <Li> Alliance of National Democratic and Peace Forces </Li> </Ul> Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam ( 1969 - 1976 ) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Military leader </Th> <Td> PLAF Commanders <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Hữu Xuyến ( 1961 -- 63 ) </Li> <Li> Trần Văn Trà ( 1963 -- 67 , 1973 -- 75 ) </Li> <Li> Hoàng Văn Thái ( 1967 -- 73 ) </Li> </Ul> PLAF Deputy Commander M Nguyễn Thị Định </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Political leader </Th> <Td> COSVN Party Secretary <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Văn Linh ( 1961 -- 64 ) </Li> <Li> Nguyễn Chí Thanh ( 1964 -- 67 ) </Li> <Li> Phạm Hùng ( 1967 -- 75 ) </Li> </Ul> NLF <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Hữu Thọ , chairman </Li> <Li> Huỳnh Tấn Phát , vice-chairman </Li> <Li> Phung Van Cung , vice-chairman </Li> <Li> Võ Chí Công , vice-chairman </Li> </Ul> PRG <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Hữu Thọ , president </Li> <Li> Huỳnh Tấn Phát , prime minister </Li> <Li> M Nguyễn Thị Bình , foreign minister </Li> <Li> Trần Nam Trung , defense minister </Li> <Li> Trương Như Tảng , justice minister </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Headquarters </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Mimot ( Memot ) , Cambodia ( 1966 -- 72 ) </Li> <Li> Lộc Ninh , South Vietnam ( 1972 -- 75 ) </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Area of operations </Th> <Td> Indochina , with a focus on South Vietnam </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Originated as </Th> <Td> Viet Minh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Became </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Vietnam Fatherland Front </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Allies </Th> <Td> North Vietnam , Soviet Union , China </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Opponents </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> South Vietnam </Li> <Li> United States </Li> <Li> United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races ( FULRO ) </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Battles and wars </Th> <Td> See full list </Td> </Tr> </Table>
who controlled or ordered the viet cong in combat
Nguyễn Hữu Xuyến Trần Văn Trà Hoàng Văn Thái