Which statement BEST distinguishes the Viet Cong from the North Vietnamese Army?

A) The North Vietnamese Army fought beside the allied forces, while the Viet Cong fought against the allied forces.

B) The North Vietnamese Army represented the political interests of North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong represented the political interests of South Vietnam.

C) The North Vietnamese Army included regular soldiers, and the Viet Cong included a mix of regular and irregular soldiers and peasant sympathizers from South Vietnam.

D) The North Vietnamese Army was composed only of Vietnamese citizens, while the Viet Cong were made up of fighters from many South Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

I think it's D

I don't agree.

No. Why don't you think it's C?

Or it could be B.

To determine the correct answer, we need to understand the key differences between the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA).

Option A states that the North Vietnamese Army fought beside the allied forces, while the Viet Cong fought against the allied forces. This statement is incorrect. Both the NVA and the Viet Cong fought against the allied forces during the Vietnam War.

Option B suggests that the North Vietnamese Army represented the political interests of North Vietnam, while the Viet Cong represented the political interests of South Vietnam. This statement is partially correct. The North Vietnamese Army did represent the political interests of North Vietnam. However, the Viet Cong, formally known as the National Liberation Front (NLF), was primarily composed of guerrilla fighters and represented the political interests of the communist revolutionaries in South Vietnam.

Option C correctly states that the North Vietnamese Army included regular soldiers, while the Viet Cong included a mix of regular and irregular soldiers and peasant sympathizers from South Vietnam. The NVA was a conventional army, composed of regular soldiers, similar to most traditional armed forces. On the other hand, the Viet Cong utilized a mix of regular soldiers and irregular fighters, including local peasant sympathizers who were supportive of the communist cause in South Vietnam.

Option D suggests that the North Vietnamese Army was composed only of Vietnamese citizens, while the Viet Cong were made up of fighters from many South Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. This statement is incorrect. Both the NVA and the Viet Cong were composed primarily of Vietnamese fighters. While there may have been some international support for the Viet Cong from other communist nations in the region, the majority of fighters were Vietnamese.

Based on the above analysis, the statement that BEST distinguishes the Viet Cong from the North Vietnamese Army is option C: The North Vietnamese Army included regular soldiers, and the Viet Cong included a mix of regular and irregular soldiers and peasant sympathizers from South Vietnam.