Factions
US Armed Forces vs North Vietnamese Army — how each side fights, and what makes them different.
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam features two factions — the US Armed Forces and the North Vietnamese Army. The game is deliberately asymmetric: each side has unique mechanics, exclusive units, and a different approach to the battlefield. This is not a reskin — the factions play differently.
At a Glance
| US Armed Forces | North Vietnamese Army | |
|---|---|---|
| Helicopters | ✓ Exclusive | ✗ |
| Tunnel Networks | ✗ | ✓ Exclusive |
| Patrol Boats | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tanks / Armour | ✓ | ✓ |
| Standard Infantry | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recon / Sniper | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mortar Squads | ✓ | ✓ |
US Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces represent the technologically superior side — air mobility, heavy firepower, and logistics reach. The US faction's defining advantage is the Helicopter unit: the first controllable aerial units in the Hell Let Loose franchise.
The Helicopter Advantage
Only US forces can fly and crew helicopters. This gives the US side capabilities that the NVA simply cannot match in the air:
- Rapid troop insertion — deploying an entire squad into a contested area in seconds
- Fire support — armed helicopters engaging ground targets from above
- Supply drops — keeping forward squads resupplied without ground logistics runs
- Map mobility — the fastest repositioning tool available to either faction
The helicopter unit requires two dedicated roles: the Pilot who flies the aircraft, and the Logistics Officer who manages payloads and door-gun operations. Losing a helicopter to poor flying costs the entire team its crew, its cargo, and the aircraft.
See the full Helicopter Operations guide.
US Weapons
US infantry weapons are built around the M16A1 — the standard-issue assault rifle of the Vietnam War, confirmed via the Royal Armouries collaboration. The M16A1's 20-round magazine and lighter recoil profile reward disciplined, semi-auto fire at range.
Playing US Forces
The US approach is built around air mobility, firepower projection, and logistics. The faction rewards squads who coordinate with their pilots — a helicopter arrival at the right moment can flip a sector. The downside: the NVA can appear anywhere via tunnels, so US squads can never fully clear ground and move on.
North Vietnamese Army
The North Vietnamese Army — which encompasses both NVA regular forces and Viet Cong guerrilla units — is the asymmetric counter to US air dominance. Where the US owns the sky, the NVA owns the ground beneath it. Their defining advantage is the tunnel network.
NVA vs Viet Cong
The game's NVA faction draws from both the Vietnamese People's Army (the regular North Vietnamese military) and the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese communist guerrilla forces). In gameplay terms they operate as a single faction, but cosmetically and historically they represent distinct elements of the conflict. The Viet Cong uniforms and equipment differ from NVA regulars — this will be reflected in the cosmetic system.
The Tunnel Advantage
Only NVA forces can construct tunnel networks. This is the faction's most powerful and unique mechanic:
- Surprise attacks — emerging behind enemy lines without crossing open ground
- Hidden spawn infrastructure — tunnel exits can serve as forward spawn points the US cannot easily see or destroy
- Territorial persistence — even after the US clears an area, tunnels keep the NVA threat alive underground
- Chokepoint inversion — tunnel exits in unexpected positions turn US-controlled ground into kill zones
See the full Tunnel Warfare guide.
NVA Weapons
NVA infantry are built around the Type 56 — the Chinese-manufactured AK-pattern rifle that was the backbone of NVA and Viet Cong forces throughout the war. The Type 56's 30-round magazine and harder-hitting cartridge make it a close-to-medium range workhorse, though it carries more recoil than the M16A1.
Playing NVA
The NVA rewards patience, concealment, and unconventional positioning. The faction is strongest when it uses tunnels to deny the US the ability to hold ground safely, and when it treats every US helicopter as a threat to shoot down rather than ignore. Playing NVA well means thinking underground first — where can a tunnel exit surprise the enemy? — rather than fighting the US toe-to-toe on open ground.
Shared Mechanics
Despite their asymmetry, both factions share several core systems:
Patrol Boats
Both factions can crew and operate patrol boats on the river networks that run through every map. River control is a genuine strategic contest — neither side has an inherent boat advantage. See the Patrol Boat Combat guide.
Armour
Both factions have access to tanks and armoured vehicles. Specific vehicle rosters per faction will be documented after launch.
Squad Structure
Both factions use the same core squad structure: a Squad Leader commanding up to five players, with one Commander per team coordinating from the tactical map. Roles are divided across six unit types on both sides — Command, Infantry, Recon, Armour, Helicopter (US only), and Mortar Squad.
Choosing a Faction
Faction selection happens when you join a server — you pick your side before spawning in. Some servers may enforce team balance, preventing one side from being over-stacked.
New players: US Armed Forces is the more straightforward starting point. The helicopter mechanics are new to learn but optional — you can play US infantry without ever boarding a helicopter. The NVA's tunnel mechanic requires understanding the build system, which adds complexity on top of the core game loop.
Once you're comfortable with the basics, the NVA's asymmetric toolkit is one of the most tactically interesting experiences in the game. There is nothing quite like emerging from a tunnel exit 20 metres behind an enemy strongpoint.