Vietnam: Ranks and grades in police and army and identification signs

Hello Ms. Nga, for your request, LawNet would like to give you the following information:

I/ Ranks and grades in the Vietnam People's Army 

1. Officers’ ranks and grades

Pursuant to Article 10 of the Law on Vietnam People's Army Officers 1999, the officers’ ranks and grades system comprises three ranks and twelve grades:

- The company officer’s rank includes four grades

+ Second lieutenant;

+ Lieutenant;

+ Senior lieutenant;

+ Captain.

- The field officer’s rank includes four grades:

+ Major;

+ Lieutenant colonel;

+ Senior lieutenant colonel;

+ Colonel.

- The general rank include four grades:

+ Major general, naval rear-admiral;

+ Lieutenant general, naval vice-admiral;

+ Senior lieutenant general, naval admiral;

+ General.

2. Military ranks of professional servicemen

Pursuant to Article 16 of the Law on Professional Servicemen and Women, National Defense Workers and Officials 2015  of Vietnam, military ranks of professional servicemen includes:

- Senior lieutenant-colonel;

- Lieutenant-colonel;

- Major;

- Captain;

- Senior lieutenant;

- Lieutenant;

- Second lieutenant;

3. Rank titles of non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers

Pursuant to Article 8 of the Law on Military Service, rank titles of non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers includes:

- Master Sergeant;

- Sergeant;

- Corporal;

- Private first class;

- Private.

II. Identification signs of ranks and grades of the Vietnam People's Army

Pursuant to Article 6 of the Decree No. 82/2016/NĐ-CP on insignias, badges and uniforms of the People's Army of Vietnam, badges of the Vietnam's People Army are shown in the following forms:

 "1. Badges of officers, cadets to be officers

a) Shape: Two small leading edges and two vertical edges.

b) Background is yellow, only Borderlands security's is green. Badge's background of the general rank is imprinted with the pattern of the bronze drum face and the center of the bronze drum face at the position of the shoulder straps button.

c) Border: Ground forces and Borderlands security in bright red, Air Defense - Air force in peaceful blue, Navy in charcoal purple.

d) On the badge's background mounted: Badge button, lines, yellow stars. The button is circular, embossed with patterns (general rank has the image of the National Emblem; field and company rank have two rice flowers around and a five-pointed star in the middle). Badge of general rank has no lines, field rank has 02 lines, company rank has 01 line, the number of stars:

• Second lieutenant, Major, Major general, naval rear-admiral: 01 star;
• Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant general, naval vice-admiral: 02 stars;
• Senior lieutenant, Senior lieutenant colonel, Senior lieutenant general, naval admiral: 03 stars;
• Captain, Colonel, General: 04 stars.\

2. Badges of professional servicemen

Complying with provisions in Clause 1 this Article, but on the background of shoulder straps has 01 pink line 5 mm in wide in the middle vertically.

3. Badges of non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers

a) Shape: Two small leading edges and two vertical edges.

b) Background is beige, only Borderlands security's is green.

c) Border: Ground forces and Borderlands security in bright red, Air Defense - Air force in peaceful blue, Navy in charcoal purple.

d) On the badge's background mounted: Shoulder straps button, horizontal line or red V-shaped line. The button is embossed with patterns of two rice flowers around and a five-pointed star in the middle. The number of horizontal line or red V-shaped line:

Private: 01 V-shaped line;

Private first class: 02 V-shaped lines;

Corporal: 01 horizontal line;

Sergeant: 02 horizontal lines;

Master Sergeant: 03 horizontal lines.

4. Badges of non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers of Navy, when weaing Navy camisole

a) Shape: Rectangle.

b) Badge's background is charcoal purple, has the Navy insignia.

c) Border: No borders.

d) On the badge's background mounted: Yellow horizontal line. The number of lines:

Private: 01 line at the bottom of the badge;

Private first class: 02 balanced lines at both ends of the badge;

Corporal: 01 line in the middle of the badge;

Sergeant: 02 lines in the middle of the badge;

Master Sergeant: 03 lines in the middle of the badge.

5. Badges of cadets trained to be officers, non-commissioned officers, technical staffs

a) Shape: Two small leading edges and two vertical edges.

b) Background: Ground forces in bright red;  Air Defense - Air force in peaceful blue, Navy in charcoal purple; Borderlands security in green.

c) Border: Yellow. Cadets of officers training have 5 mm border in wide; Cadets of non-commissioned officers and technical staffs training have 3 mm border in wide.

d) On the badge's background mounted shoulder straps button. The button is embossed with patterns of two rice flowers around and a five-pointed star in the middle.”

Pictures of identification 

III. System of ranks and grades of the People’s Public Security Force

Pursuant to Article 21 of the Law on People's Public Security Force 2018 of Vietnam, system of ranks and grades of officers, non-commissioned officers and conscripts of the People’s Public Security Force includes:

1. Operation officers and non-commissioned officers:

a) General officers subdivided into 04 grades:

General;

Senior Lieutenant General;

Lieutenant General;

Major General;

b) Field officers subdivided into 04 grades:

Colonel;

Senior Lieutenant Colonel;

Lieutenant Colonel;

Major;

c) Company officers subdivided into 04 grades:

Captain;

Senior Lieutenant Captain;

Lieutenant;

Second Lieutenant;

d) Non-commissioned officers subdivided into 03 grades:

Sergeant major;

Sergeant;

Corporal.

2. Technical officers and non-commissioned officers:

a) Field officers subdivided into 03 grades:

Senior Lieutenant Colonel;

Lieutenant Colonel;

Major;

b) Company officers subdivided into 04 grades:

Captain;

Senior Lieutenant Captain;

Lieutenant;

Second Lieutenant;

c) Non-commissioned officers subdivided into 03 grades:

Sergeant major;

Sergeant;

Corporal.

3. Enlisted non-commissioned officers and members:

a) Enlisted non-commissioned officers subdivided into 03 grades:

Sergeant major;

Sergeant;

Corporal;

b) Conscripts subdivided into 02 grades:

First-class private;

Private.

IV. Identilication signs of ranks and grades of the People’s Public Security Force

Pursuant to Article 3 Decree No. 160/2007/NĐ-CP (amended by Clause 4 Article 1 Decree No. 29/2016/NĐ-CP) on insignias and ranks in the People's Public Security Force:

1. Insignias of officials

- Red fabric background.

+ General: the two small leading edges and two vertical edges of the badge background have a yellow border, in the middle of the level, there is a floating pattern of pine branches running along the level background.

+ Field, company: two small leading edges and two vertical edges of the badge with green border, in the middle of the badge background, there is a 6mm wide line running along the level background; field has two lines, company has one line; professional officer's line is yellow, technical officer's line is dark blue.

- Button: circular; general's button is yellow, with embossed National Emblem; field and company's button is yellow, with embossed 5-pointed star in the middle of two rice flowers, under the two rice flowers is a half-wheel shape, in the middle of the half-wheel shape is the monogram "CA".

5-pointed star: general's star is yellow, with embossed veins, 23 mm diameter; field's star is yellow, with embossed veins, 21.5 mm diameter; company's star is yellow, with embossed veins, 21.5 mm diameter. The quantity and layout are as follows:

+ Second Lieutenant, Major, Major General: 1 star.

+ Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant General: 2 stars.

+ Senior Lieutenant Captain, Senior Lieutenant Colonel, Senior Lieutenant General: 3 stars.

+ Captain, Captain, General: 4 stars.

+ The stars are arranged from the end of the badge: the general rank is arranged vertically; Second Lieutenant, Major have one star in the middle; Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel have two stars horizontally; Lieutenant, Lolonel have two stars horizontally, one star vertically; Captain, Colonel have two stars horizontally, two stars vertically.

2. Insignias of non-commissioned officers and conscripts

- Background and button of non-commissioned officers and conscripts are the same as official's.

- Fabric line 6 mm wide mounted at the end of insignia's background. Professional non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers and conscripts have yellow line; teacnical non-commissioned officers has dark blue line; at the end of insignia of non-commissioned officers has (|) line, insignia of conscript has (<).

+ Corporal: 1 (|) line

+ Sergeant: 2 (||) lines

+ Sergeant major: 3 (|||) lines

+ Private: 1 (<) line

+ First-class private: 2 (<<) lines

3. Insignias of cadets

Cadet's insignia has background and button as company official's insignia; insignias of secondary and elementary students, two small leading edges and two vertical edges of the badge background without a blue border.

Pictures of identification 

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