Vietcong

or Vi·et Cong

[ vee-et-kong, -kawng, vyet-, vee-it- ]

noun

, plural Vi·et·cong.

1. a Communist-led army and guerrilla force in South Vietnam that fought its government and was supported by North Vietnam.
2. a member or supporter of this force.

adjective

1. of or relating to this force or one of its members or supporters.

Vietcong

/ ˌvjɛtˈkɒŋ /

noun

1. the Communist-led guerrilla force and revolutionary army of South Vietnam; the armed forces of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam
2. a member of these armed forces
3. modifier of or relating to the Vietcong or a Vietcong

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vietcong¹

First recorded in 1960–65, Vietcong is from the Vietnamese word Việt-cộng

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vietcong¹

from Vietnamese Viet Nam Cong San Vietnamese Communist

Example Sentences

After strafing the Vietcong and diverting them with his craft’s landing lights, he ignored an order to return to base and gambled on a maneuver that the military said had never been tried before with a two-person Cobra, which has seats only for the pilot and co-pilot.

From New York Times

The mountainous region in the Central Highlands was populated by Montagnard villagers, whom Army advisers — and before them, C.I.A. officers — tried to shape into a bulwark against the Vietcong, the Communist insurgency aligned with North Vietnam.

From New York Times

In the early hours of July 6, 1964, a force of 800 to 900 Vietcong and North Vietnamese regulars launched a surprise attack, seeking to overrun the camp.

From New York Times

Eight years later, the North Vietnamese Army and the communist Vietcong forces launched the Tet Offensive, attacking more than 100 cities, with Saigon as the centerpiece.

From New York Times

The bombing of Cambodia in 1969 and 1970, which Mr. Kissinger authorized in the hope that it would root out pro-Communist Vietcong forces operating from bases across Vietnam’s western border, also fueled years of debate about whether the United States had violated international law by expanding the conflict into an ostensibly neutral nation.

From New York Times