Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam Air Force
 
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Roundel                 Last update 14-10-2022

  The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) "inherited" 87 Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighters and 27 F-5E Tigers after the collaps of the Republic of Vietam (South Vietnam) end April 1975; some were
  operational, others not, due to lack of spares or in maintenance. Immediate flyable were 41 Northrop F-5s, especially at Tan Son Nhut AB

  Unofficial sources state that circa 60 Northrop F-5As (at least 2 F-5B, 9 RF-5A) and 27 F-5Es were abandoned by South Vietnam; it was extremely difficult to be used by the new Air Force because there
  were insufficent spare parts and records for the aircrafts; pilots and ground crew were only fluent in Russian language and procedures. Of help were former South Vietnamese personnel who joined the North
  Vietnamese Air Force, though it is not clear if true and how many.

                                                                                      Photo: unknow

                                                            A Northrop F-5A being tugged shortly after the end of the war by a North Vietnamese truck
                                                            (see flag); tailcode HJC. (meaning unknown)

Air Regiment 935 "Dong Nai" was established on 21-05-75 at Bien Hoa AB for the use of the Northrop fighter of all variants by order of General Giap as part of the 370th Air Division ; on 27-05-75 the unit
flew his first operational mission with the Northrop fighter. Its main role was air-to-air combat, role that was well known to the Air Force. US/South East Asia camouflage was kept.

                   
Northrop F-5E and F-5A seen at Da Nang with their early AIM-9B Sidewinders.                                                                        Active N. Vietnamise Northrop F-5, note original S. Vietnamese camouflage.
First two digits corresponds to Regiment number, two others aircraft number.             Photos: Vietnamese News Agency

There was no peace for the Vietnamese Northrops, though the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) had collapsed.

                                                                              
                                                   No details are known about thisTiger line-up, though it is most probably taken on a former S. Vietnam AB

Unofficial sources state that was modified to air-to-ground combat, a 935th Regiment's Northrop F-5A/F-5E detachment was transferred from May 1977 to Wattay AB (Vientiane/Laos) to help crushing a Hmong tribe
rebellion. It flew air raids against Hmongs settlements using napalm and cluster bombs; later the aircrafts were replaced by MiG-21s.

  Photo: Xuan At 
Metallic Northrop  F-5A Freedom Fighter 10271 at Bien Hoa AB early 1980s.                                          A metallic Northrop RF-5A during the war border protection East (Cina); in the background 2 F-5B
Of interest three tanks and nationality markings position on the air inlet, above wings.                           retaining the South Vietnamese camouflage but having People's Republic serial.     Photo: Military art magazine

Relations between Cambodia and Vietnam were tens, starting late 1976 with skirmishes at the Southern border; by end of 1978 the Northrop fighters were transferred nearer to the border. At least 2 Northrop F-5As
performed as fighter-bombers attacking headquarters, vehicles and weapons deposits. Known attacks were on 01-01-79 against Kompong Cham by 10 Northrop F-5 releasing 46 250kg bombs, against the Ponchen-
tong by 4 Northrop F-5 releasing 16 Mk.82 bombs and on 05-01-77 against shipping in the Mekong (together with 1 Fairchild C-119) with the help of Forward Air Control Cessna U-17s; the unit received on 20-12-79
the title of "Hero of the People's Armed Forces".
According to a US source the use during this time was by far more limited and the aircraft saw little use.

Chinese/Vietnamese relationship
The year 1979 saw also the worsening of the Chinese/Vietnamese relationship at a point that an open war took place on February 17th, lasting till March 16th. Use of Northrop fighter started on February 21st,
together with MiG-19 and MiG-21s. Ten Northrop F-5A and RF-5A from Bien Hoa AB were deployed to the North and declared operational. Five were seen end of February at the Hanoi airportof Noi Bai.

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                     Operational Northrop F-5E 3523 seen at Hanoi in 1980

Lack of spare parts compelled the witdrawal of the remaining aircrafts by 1981/2; unconfirmed is that much of the remaing ground equipment and weapons were later sold to Ethiopia and Iran. Transfer of the aircrafts
was not possible due to the USA opposition. It seems that three Northrop F-5s were last shown on 30 April 1985 commemorating the 10th year of the fall of Saigon in company of MiG-21s!

The Regiment obtained as replacement aircrafts MiG-21 and later quite a different performance fighter: the Sukhoi Su-30Mk2.

                                        Former Republic of Viet Nam aircrafts/helicopters, possibly withdrawn after People's Republic use

Northrop F-5s were stored at Bien Hoa end of spring 1980.

                                
                                                Northop F-5A 66.8170 stored together with a number of other Northrop F-5s; Northrop F-5B new serial 3502 and Bell UH-1s, Cessna A-37s

Rumours
Mid December 2011 the local Defence Department reported tha one Northrop F-5E from Ho Chi Minh City was transferred from Taipei after having been updated under an one million "Project Eagle". It consisted of an
upgrade with a new computer, navigational system, armament and structioral modifications, paint job, extension engine and service life to keep the jet in flyble condition for the nex 15 year. Nothing of this corres-
ponded to truth.

Foreign assessment
Russia
Russia was interested to compare US against local aircrafts and helicopters technology; one Northrop F-5E, one Cessna A-37B, one Boeing CH-47, 1 Bell UH-1 were transferred by ship beginning 1976 to Russia. The
wings of the fighter were "welded" (as too large) by Vietnamese soldiers but could be repaired upon arrival in Russia; unused engines, packed in special sealed containers and filled with inert gas, together with docu-
mentation, were opened before delivery and repumped with gas and filled again with inert gas for the transfer.
Testing was performed with great success in air-to-air combat against MiG-21SMs from 1976 at the Central Aero-Dynamics Institute (Tsagi) at Chukovsky, the Chkalov State Flights Tests Center (near Moscow/GLIC
in Russian) going on at the Akubinsk polygon (Astrachanya); they endeded early 1977, the Tigers finding its way to the OK Sukhoi for storage. Serial 73-00807 is given, but should be wrong.
Poland
1977 Vietnam requested  Poland to develop an operating manual and to replace USA components with Eatern Bloc ones, among which the NS-23 cannons.  A Northrop F-5E went by ship to Poland on -09-77 in
great secret, via Gdynia port and onward by rail, to be studied by the Technical Institute of the Air Force in Warsaw; already in December 1977 it was shown to high ranking political and military experts
ncluding rolling on the apron at Warsaw-Bemowo airport. The Tiger was presented to the museum in 14-02-83; very few technical details were later used on the PZL I-22.

The secret was lifted at the end of 1990 when it was asssembled again (it was disassembled earlier) at Warsaw-Okecie airport; the fighter underwent maintenenace in 2015 for exhibition, received a new painting
coating and Vietnamese (North) markings.

    Photo: unknown           Photo: V. Luczak
                 The Northrop F-5E 00852 at Warsaw-Okecie without any marking.                                 Northrop F-5E 00852 examined during development of the Polish trainer I-22 Iryda

                                                                              
                                                              Same aircraft at Krakow museum with N. Vietnamese markings and underwing pylon tanks.

Czecholovakia
Anothe Northrop F-5E having flown only 236.20 flying hours was secretely transferred to Czechoslovakia to Prague-Kbely AB (via Da Nang) in April 1981 in two Aero L-39 shipping boxes, together with ground
equipment and two AIM-9B Sidewinder, to be studied by aerospace specialists. Shortly later it found its way to Aero at Vodochody, where it was again dismantled. A few information were of use on the
Aero L-39 production; the aircraft was only allowed in Czechlovakia to roll, had all markings removed, it never never received local markings.
In 1983 was delivered dismantled to Kbely AB museum where it was stored; it was in the usual US camouflage but markings and serial numbers were deleted. In December 1989 (by the end of the Communist
governnement) the secret was lifted and the machine handed over to the museum, receiving Vietnamese markings.

                                              
                                                                 Northrop F-5E 00878 with ferry tanks at Kbely AB without (September 1991) and with NorthVietnamese markings.
                                                                           Photo: unknown                                                                                 Photo: Vojensky Historicky Ustav Praha

China
One Northrop F-5A (code HJQ) of Vietnamese origin has been on show at Datangshan (Mainland China) museum, photograph shows it for the first time on 21-10-09. It is not known when/where it was delivered and
its use, possibly for experimental use; also on show is Northrop F-5F (seial 5361) defecting to mainland China on 08-08-81.

Museums in Viet Nam
Several Northrop F-5A and F-5E are used (in the respective city) by museums as remembrance to the war against the South (in the respective city).
For details see the pages Northrop F-5A and F-5E.

Hô Chi Minh City - Bào Tàng Chên Dich Hô Chi Minh
(Saigon)            - Bào Tàng Quân Dôi  (changed on 04-07-95 to War Remnants Museum, see below)
                        - Bao Tàng Chûng Tich Chîen Tranh (War Remnants Museum)
                        - Bào Tang Quàn Phia Nau
Hà Nôi               - Bào Tàng Chên
(Hanoi)              - Bào Tàng Phông Không - Không Quân (Vietnam People's Air Force Museum)
                        - Bào Tàng Quân DôI Hà Noi
                        - Hôi Truong Thông Nhât (Reunification Palace)
Who can help with confirmation/delete museum and the English translation? Which/where airplane is not clear.

The aircrafts were mainly painted in phantasy camouflage, not used by the USAF or South Vietnamse AF. Some were without camouflage, metallic; some camouflaged were kept in pristine conditions, others are in poor
condition due to the age, looking weathered, with rocket or AIM-9B Sidewinder armament; some have even US Air Force titles, while others have now a fictitious serial (7579) on tail; 75 is the year North Vietnmese
entered Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, the following 2 number's meaning is not known For details see The Northrop F-5 Enthusiast Page/ Vietnam North/ F-5A and F-5E.

Three moments/markings as a monument of Vietnamese F-5A, after withdrawal from use:
   Photo: Istvan Toperczer   
Northrop F-5A USAF serial 65-10547, local serial 7579 (bareraly discernible) in worn-out original camouflage                Northrop F-5A 7579 seen at HanoI/Bach Mai museum. The front fuselage now has big serial
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Photo: unknown


                                                                    Overpainted with X  S Vietnamese nationality marking on Northrop F-5E 01638 at Ho Chi Minh City on 27-03-15

                                                                                    Photo: J Topcer
                                                           Worned out, camouflaged Northrop F-5E serial 00851 armed with Sidewinder AIM-9B, rocket launcher at Da Nang AFB

                             
Another Northrop F-5A, serialled 7579 (ex 64-8434), in a phantasy camouflage,                                 Northrop F-5E 01638 seen in March 2004  at the Ho Chih Minh Reunification at the Hano
Air Force museum seen in April 2004                            Photo: Martin Nôvak                                      Palace in Ho Chi Minh City (ex Saigon). Ministry of Defence/Headquarter gave its authorisation
                                                                                                                                                  to put  the aircraft on show in 1995. S Vietnam natonaly markings were overpainted by an X.