The Vietnam People's Army distinguishes three careerpaths: Officers (sĩ quan), non-commissioned officers (hạ sĩ quan), and enlisted members (chiến sĩ).
Because the shoulder insignia of all ranks are represented by an elongated pentagonal epaulette, they are, hence, either detailed or colour-coded to indicate rank, branch, as well as unit.
The shoulder epaulettes from those of enlisted soldiers to field officers are detailed with a silver crest with an ercircled silver star. Those of generals and admirals have fully golden epaulettes with corresponding golden crests and encircled stars.
| Level | Ranks | Translation | Ground Forces | Air Force | Navy | Border Defense | Marine Police |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Officers Sĩ quan cấp Tướng |
Đại tướng | General | |||||
| Thượng tướng/ Đô đốc |
Colonel General/ Admiral(Navy) |
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| Trung tướng/ Phó Đô đốc |
Lieutenant General/ Vice Admiral(Navy) |
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| Thiếu tướng/ Chuẩn Đô đốc |
Major General/ Rear Admiral(Navy) |
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| Field Grade Officers Sĩ quan cấp Tá |
Đại tá | Senior Colonel/ Commodore(Navy) |
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| Thượng tá | Colonel/ Senior Commander(Navy) |
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| Trung tá | Lieutenant Colonel/ Commander(Navy) |
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| Thiếu tá | Major/ Lieutenant Commander(Navy) |
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| Company Grade Officers Sĩ quan cấp Úy |
Đại úy | Captain | |||||
| Thượng úy | Senior Lieutenant | ||||||
| Trung úy | Senior Lieutenant | ||||||
| Thiếu úy | Senior Lieutenant | ||||||
| Non-Commissioned Officers Hạ sĩ quan |
Thượng sĩ | Sergeant major | |||||
| Trung sĩ | Sergeant | ||||||
| Hạ sĩ | Corporal | ||||||
| Soldiers Airmen Seamen Chiến sĩ |
Binh nhất | Private 1st class | |||||
| Binh nhì | Private 2nd class | ||||||
| Officer Student | Học viên Sĩ quan | Officer Student |
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