<Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> National Liberation Front of South Vietnam </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Participant in the Vietnam War </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> The flag of the Việt Cộng, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Active </Th> <Td> 21 July 1954--2 July 1976 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Ideology </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Communism </Li> <Li> Marxism--Leninism </Li> <Li> Left - wing nationalism </Li> <Li> Vietnamese nationalism </Li> <Li> Hồ Chí Minh Thought </Li> <Li> Anti-imperialism </Li> <Li> Anti-revisionism </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Groups </Th> <Td> <P> HQ Group Central Office for South Vietnam Military Wing </P> <Ul> <Li> People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam </Li> <Li> Independent Battalions </Li> </Ul> <P> Political Wings </P> <Ul> <Li> National Liberation Front for Southern Vietnam </Li> <Li> Alliance of National Democratic and Peace Forces </Li> </Ul> Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (1969 - 1976) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Military leader </Th> <Td> PLAF Commanders <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Hữu Xuyến (1961--63) </Li> <Li> Trần Văn Trà (1963--67, 1973--75) </Li> <Li> Hoàng Văn Thái (1967--73) </Li> </Ul> PLAF Deputy Commander M Nguyễn Thị Định </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Political leader </Th> <Td> COSVN Party Secretary <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Văn Linh (1961--64) </Li> <Li> Nguyễn Chí Thanh (1964--67) </Li> <Li> Phạm Hùng (1967--75) </Li> </Ul> NLF <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Hữu Thọ, chairman </Li> <Li> Huỳnh Tấn Phát, vice-chairman </Li> <Li> Phung Van Cung, vice-chairman </Li> <Li> Võ Chí Công, vice-chairman </Li> </Ul> PRG <Ul> <Li> Nguyễn Hữu Thọ, president </Li> <Li> Huỳnh Tấn Phát, prime minister </Li> <Li> M Nguyễn Thị Bình, foreign minister </Li> <Li> Trần Nam Trung, defense minister </Li> <Li> Trương Như Tảng, justice minister </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Headquarters </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Mimot (Memot), Cambodia (1966--72) </Li> <Li> Lộc Ninh, South Vietnam (1972--75) </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Area of operations </Th> <Td> Indochina, with a focus on South Vietnam </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Originated as </Th> <Td> Viet Minh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Became </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Vietnam Fatherland Front </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Allies </Th> <Td> North Vietnam, Soviet Union, China </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Opponents </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> South Vietnam </Li> <Li> United States </Li> <Li> United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (FULRO) </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Battles and wars </Th> <Td> See full list </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> National Liberation Front of South Vietnam </Th> </Tr>

Who controlled or ordered the viet cong in combat