The National Army of Vietnam or the Vietnamese National Army (VNA) (Quân đội Quốc gia Việt Nam) was the national army of the State of Vietnam after it was recognised as an independent country by France on 8 March 1949. The VNA fought in joint operations with the French Far East Expeditionary Corps (CEFEO) against the Việt Minh. With the departure of the CEFEO from Indochina in 1956, the VNA was reorganized under American tutelage as the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).