The People’s Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam (PLAF) was the official army of the National Liberation Front (NLF). The PLAF forces were independent of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The PLAF was unofficially established after 1954 and was recognized as main battle forces in South Vietnam by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in 1961. The PLAF forces appeared to be outside of the control of the PAVN, but under the command of the Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN), politically and militarily controlled by Hanoi and functioned as a branch of the North Vietnamese Army.
